A plane carrying the NHL's Stars was forced to return to a St. Louis-area airport when smoke filtered into its cockpit shortly after takeoff Sunday morning.
According to the Belleville News-Democrat, the flight departed St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia, Ill., at 11:52 a.m. headed for Los Angeles, where the Stars play the Kings on Monday. But the Boeing 737 turned around within five minutes, the report said, and landed safely back at the airport.
The plane was carrying 50 passengers, including players and the team's staff.
Mike Mavrogeorge, fire chief at the airport, told the News-Democrat the smoke could have been due to an electrical malfunction.