A regional flight in the United States made an unscheduled diversion after the crew detected the smell of smoke in the cockpit while cruising at altitude.
On March 10th 2026, a CommuteAir Embraer ERJ-145, registration N14148, operating flight UA-4887 on behalf of United Airlines, was flying from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Knoxville.
The aircraft was cruising at FL270 when the crew reported the smell of smoke in the cockpit. As a precaution, the pilots elected to divert to Shreveport Regional Airport.
During the approach into Shreveport, the aircraft went around on short final to runway 14 before positioning for another approach. The jet subsequently landed safely on runway 14 on the second attempt, approximately one hour after departing Houston.
Passengers continued their journey later on a replacement Embraer ERJ-145, registration N11165, which eventually reached Knoxville with a delay of about three hours and forty-five minutes.
Following the diversion, the original aircraft remained on the ground in Shreveport for roughly 24 hours while checks were carried out before it later returned to Houston. Investigators and maintenance teams are expected to review the incident to determine the source of the cockpit smoke odor.
