Emergency landing for Dulles flight

A United Airlines flight from Dulles to Seattle made an emergency landing Wednesday night in Sioux Falls, S.D., after the crew reported the smell of smoke in the plane’s cabin, federal and company officials said.

The crew aboard Flight 917, a Boeing 757 jet, began smelling smoke about an hour after takeoff and the pilots decided to divert the flight to Sioux Falls, said Charlie Hobart, a United spokesman. No one was injured during the flight or the landing.

The 166 passengers were expected to be delayed nearly four hours by the diverted flight, as airline officials routed a second plane to carry them to Seattle, Hobart said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, an agency spokeswoman said.

-- Clarence Williams