Alaska Airlines Flight Returns to San Jose Airport After Emergency Light Goes On

An Alaska Airlines flight out of Mineta San Jose International Airport had to return shortly after takeoff Sunday when an emergency sensor lit up, an airline spokeswoman said.

Flight 3467, operated by SkyWest regional service and headed to San Diego International Airport, took off at 4:53 p.m., and the pilot quickly noticed a caution light illuminate in the cockpit, Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Laura Sisemore said in an email.

San Jose airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said an “airport door may have been ajar,” causing the plane to turn around over Gilroy and return. Cockpit air traffic audio reviewed by The Chronicle indicated the pilot telling an air traffic controller that he was returning because “we have a rear passenger door open.”

As he neared the landing, the air traffic controller asked the pilot whether he needed to declare an emergency landing.

“We have a warning message for a passenger door that’s open. ... Pressurization is fine, so we’re not going to declare an emergency at this time,” the pilot said.

Wes Horrocks, a spokesman for SkyWest, confirmed that an indication light warned pilots that a door was open.

“Based on additional information like the cabin pressure, they did not believe a door ever opened and suspected it was an incorrect indication,” he said in an email. “However, they still returned to the airport to have the aircraft inspected. Following a review by mechanics, the aircraft was cleared and the flight continued to San Diego.”

Sisemore also said the report of an ajar door was inaccurate.

“In line with our safety protocol, the captain made the determination to return to San Jose to have maintenance inspect the aircraft,” she said.

The plane landed safely at 5:35 p.m. and was serviced by a maintenance crew and cleared for departure, Sisemore said.

Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @mgafni

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