Nov 11, 2008 10:00 pm US/Eastern
Crist's Plane Makes Emergency Landing
SARASOTA (CBS4) ―
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Archive: Charlie Crist
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Governor Charlie Crist might want to think twice before selling one of the jets from the state fleet, something that was being considered for weeks now, after his jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Sarasota Tuesday.
In a written statement, Crist's office said the the plane carrying the Governor from a Veterans Day ceremony to a Miami news conference experienced "mechanical difficulties" which required an unscheduled landing in Sarasota on Tuesday afternoon.
The aircraft recently underwent service for a generator malfunction, but the details of its latest mechanical problems weren't yet known. A spokeswoman for Crist said no one was injured in the landing.
Crist was flying from Bushnell to Miami for a press conference. He later traveled to Miami on another aircraft.
In an interview with WIOD radio, the Governor said it was discovered after the plane landed in Sarasota that it "didn't have any oil", and joked that maybe the state needed to pay more attention to maintanence.
The governor was expected to announce a revised deal between the state and the nation's largest producer of cane sugar to buy farm land for Everglades restoration.
The press conference has been rescheduled for Wednesday.
Last month a legislative study revealed that the state could save millions by selling the state's business jet and replacing it with other alternatives.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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