The Region : Crippled Plane Lands at John Wayne

A Northwest Airlines DC-9 landed safely at John Wayne Airport after one of its two engines failed. Special firefighting crews were on standby when the jet landed at 6:22 p.m., authorities said. A spokesman for Northwest said the left engine on Flight 696 from Memphis failed about two miles from the airport. The control tower was immediately notified, and the aircraft proceeded with its descent and landing, he said. County Fire Department dispatcher Hiddo Horling said the tower alerted firefighters to the situation at 6:21 p.m. The Northwest spokesman said it is not known what caused the engine to fail, but the possibility of a fuel pump problem is being investigated.