A US Airways flight headed to Phoenix from Newark made an emergency landing in Pittsburgh today after a dog on board bit a passenger and a flight attendant.
The dog, a 12-pound Manchester terrier named Mandy, apparently became agitated when her sedatives wore off, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported. A man next to her owner, an unidentified 89-year-old woman, tried to soothe the dog but it bit him and broke free of its cage.
It ran up and down the aisle and then bit the flight attendant.
The pilot on Flight 522 decided to land in Pittsburgh to make sure everyone was OK, US Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher said.
“The captain felt in the interest of safety, it was better to land and have them looked at than continue on,” Lehmacher said, according to the Tribune Review.
The bitten passengers were treated at the airport and reboarded the plane for the flight to Phoenix, the Tribune Review reported.
Mandy and her owner were placed on an alternate flight.
No charges were expected, the Tribune Review reported.
Lehmacher said US Airways allows passengers to carry certain pets if they are secured in approved carriers and kept under their seats.
With AP