Airliner lands safely in Denver after blowing tire

DENVER - A United Airlines turboprop plane landed safely after it returned to Denver International Airport on Saturday when the Kansas City-bound flight blew a tire on takeoff, officials said.

United Express Flight 4870 reported the mishap as it took off from Denver about 10:30 a.m. MDT, said airport spokeswoman Laura Coale.

She said the plane circled for about 30 minutes to burn off fuel before returning to Denver and landing safely. There were no reports of injuries.

The passengers were evacuated and bused to the airport concourse, she said.

The aircraft, a Bombardier Dash 8-Q400, is operated by Republic Airlines, United said on its website. The flight to Kansas City was delayed for four hours.

The runway where the plane landed was closed as the aircraft was towed, Coale said. The closure did not affect airport operations.