Co-Pilot Safely Landed MD-90 At McCarran International Airport

A Delta Airlines MD-90 on a flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas landed safely at its intended destination with one of only two of its pilots in the cockpit after the door malfunctioned while the captain of the flight was outside.

Passenger Jesse Dougherty told ABC News that about half way through the flight, he noticed the captain outside the cockpit and "some talking at the front of the plane." The captain later got on the intercom to explain that the door was jammed and he could not get back into the cockpit. "There wasn't a huge panic, but there was some confusion," Dougherty said.

The flight continued to McCarren, and the co-pilot reportedly make a "perfect" landing. However, he stayed in the right seat where he was more comfortable with the controls, which meant he could not steer the airplane during taxi. The plane had to be towed to a gate.

A maintenance crew later discovered a piece of string near the door that was blamed for the malfunction.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov