A Southwest Airlines official says no emergency was declared before a St. Louis-bound commercial flight returned to Las Vegas to check whether the aircraft had a blown tire and tail damage.
McCarran International Airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said Flight 511 took off from Vegas about 12:50 p.m. Wednesday and the pilot reported about 1:45 p.m. that the aircraft was returning.
Officials said the Boeing 737 landed safely a little after 2:10 p.m.
Airline spokesman Dan Landson called the landing uneventful. He says the aircraft taxied to the terminal, where it was checked by maintenance workers and cleared to return to service.
Landson said there were 174 passengers and six crew members aboard. That was one fewer than the airport reported.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman says the agency will investigate.