NEW : 10 hours after United Flight 497 's emergency landing , the runway was still closed . NEW : The plane landed safely at a nearby airport and all passengers were released from their seats by police officers who had been standing on the tarmac for several minutes before they realized what happened. No one injured during the emergency landing . The pilot had asked to land on a longer runway but was diverted to a shorter one because of workers on the first runway , Lunsford said . Plane was flying to San Francisco from New Orleans .
NEW : 10 hours after United Flight 497 's emergency landing , the runway was still closed . NEW : The plane landed safely at a nearby airport and all passengers were released from their seats by police officers who had been standing on the tarmac for several minutes before they realized what happened. No one injured during the emergency landing . Plane was flying to San Francisco from New Orleans .