NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A small, twin-engine plane carrying White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card made an emergency landing in Nashville Saturday after smoke began pouring into the cockpit, officials said.
Card and 12 others on board were not injured when the Gulfstream 4 plane bound for Washington landed at the Nashville International Airport around 4 p.m., said Lynne Lowrance, an airport spokeswoman.
"They thought they could be having some trouble with the Avionics instruments but they weren't sure what was causing the smoke," Lowrance said.
The plane left Texas, where Card has been meeting with President Bush at his ranch in Crawford, White House spokesman Ken Lisaius said.
"They made the decision to be safe rather than sorry," Lisaius said. "I was told it was a fairly routine matter."
Lowrance said the 12 other passengers included secret service members.
Bush plans to stay in Texas through Monday, when he departs for a two-day trip focusing on border security that includes stops in Arizona and El Paso, Texas.
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