EMERGENCY Southwest plane with blown tire lands safely in Phoenix

A Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing Monday afternoon at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport after discovering a blown tire on the plane's main landing gear, an official said.

The damage apparently occurred during the takeoff of Flight 1359 from Phoenix to Newark. The flight took off shortly after leaving the gate at 10:05 a.m.

Dan Landson, a Southwest spokesman, said the plane stayed in the air to burn fuel and landed safely at Sky Harbor just before 1:30 p.m.

The plane was towed to a different gate upon landing, and the 135 passengers and five crew members aboard changed planes, Landson said.