Cockpit smoke sends plane back to Winnipeg

A commercial flight from Winnipeg to the northern Manitoba community of Norway House was forced to return to its takeoff point Monday after smoke was spotted in the cockpit.

No one was injured in the incident, which forced Perimeter Airlines flight 105 to return to Winnipeg after having left the airport around 7 a.m. Monday morning, a spokeswoman for the Winnipeg Airports Authority said.

There were 11 passengers and two crew members on board.

Emergency responders from the James A. Richardson International Airport greeted the plane upon its return, but the flight landed without incident, the spokeswoman said.

Mark Wehrle, president of Perimeter, said it appears the source of the problem was an overheated environmental pack, essentially the heating system for the cabin.

"It's not an uncommon thing but it can cause some concern for some people," Wehrle said, noting the smoke may have been caused from residue left over from some routine maintenance work.

The passengers were loaded onto a different plane to continue their journey Monday, he said.

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