More detail, ex Grand Junction News Sentinel via RockyMountainNews.com 11:54 p.m. 01/30/08
An American Airlines 757 carrying an estimated 103 passengers and 17,000 pounds of fuel was forced to land at Grand Junction Regional Airport Wednesday evening, due to reports of “smoke in the cabin.”
The flight — #119 which originated in Newark and bound for Los Angeles — made a safe emergency landing at the Grand Junction airport around 10:15 p.m. There were no injuries to passengers or flight crew members, and people were evacuated directly onto the tarmac as soon as the wheels came to a stop along the runway.
According to fire officials who responded to the scene, the smoke is thought to have started due to a fire that began at the back of the aircraft. Firefighters with the Grand Junction Fire Department conducted thermal imaging in an attempt to pinpoint the exact location of the fire.