Unalaska, AK – A Pen Air flight headed from Anchorage to Unalaska made an emergency landing in Kenai yesterday afternoon after a smoke indicator light went on for unknown reasons.

Pen Air Vice President Richard Harding says that the company doesn't know what set off the alarm on the Saab 340, which had 16 passengers on board at the time. He says no problems were found upon inspection of the aircraft, and no smoke was detected, but pilots are required to land at the nearest airport anyway under those circumstances.

Harding says he suspects that, because there were no apparent problems on the plane, the problem might have involved an item that was in a passenger's luggage, but that a cursory check of the baggage compartment turned up nothing unusual.

The pilot of the plane noticed the light shortly after takeoff from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, at 3:10 p.m. Monday afternoon. Five minutes later the plane was on the ground at Kenai Municipal Airport. Passengers were put on another plane to Unalaska and arrived Monday evening.

The Federal Aviation Administration is planning to investigate the incident.