Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle returns to Portland with one engine

PORTLAND, Oregon – An Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle-Tacoma made a U-turn and landed in Portland after the pilots were forced to stop one of the engines.

According to an Alaska Air spokesperson, the pilots of Flight 2228 noticed a warning light indicating a problem with the speed control of one of the propellers shortly after take-off at approximately 10:30.

The pilots followed the procedure, stopped the Bombardier Q400 engine and landed at Portland International Airport at 10:55.

"The planes are equipped with two engines, so that in the unlikely event of a problem with an engine, the pilot can still land safely," said a spokesman for the airline in a statement to Q13 News. "Although single-engine operations are rare, our pilots are trained in these situations."

The passengers were transferred on a different plane and flew to Seattle. There were 76 passengers and four crew members on board.