Schwarzenegger’s plane makes emergency landing at Van Nuys after smoke in cockpit

Schwarzenegger’s plane makes emergency landing

LOS ANGELES — Federal investigators on Saturday were looking into what prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plane to make an emergency landing, a mishap the governor called “a little adventure” on Twitter. The chartered jet was about 10 minutes away from landing Friday at the Santa Monica Airport when the pilot reported smoke coming from an instrument panel.

The pilot made a “quick, steep, but safe landing” at 6:23 p.m. at Van Nuys Airport in the San Fernando Valley, Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said.

No one was injured.

Authorities intend to follow-up with the New Jersey-based private charter company that ferried Schwarzenegger, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said Saturday.

Gregor said the FAA will make sure NetJets Inc. diagnoses and fixes the problem that prompted the emergency landing on Friday.

Schwarzenegger, who was heading to Santa Monica after a speech in Mendota, tweeted about the incident, calling it “a little adventure,” and posting a link to a photo of the jet parked on the runway on his Twitter feed.

“All’s OK, though,” he tweeted.

NetJets spokeswoman Maryann Aarseth said the NetJets Hawker 800 was carrying the governor, three passengers and two crew.

“The crew followed standard emergency procedures by informing the passengers of the situation and diverting to Van Nuys where they landed the aircraft safely,” Aarseth said in a statement Saturday.