Rock Bands’ Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Ill.

Chuck Brennan, a friend of the bands who chartered the flight, told The Associated Press that the plane took off from the Moline airport but pilots had to turn it around when smoke appeared in the front of the plane at about 7,000 feet.

Brennan said the pilots donned oxygen masks and landed the Challenger 601 with no incident. There were no injuries reported by the pilot or the 13 passengers.

“The cabin didn’t fill with smoke,” said Brennan, the owner of short-term lender Dollar Loan Center.

Brennan, a former promoter who opened the Brennan Rock & Roll Academy in his hometown of Sioux Falls, S.D., said he had chartered the plane out of Santa Ana, Calif., for a four-city tour.

Ratt and Dokken, both big names from the 1980s hair metal scene, played in Moline on Friday night with Lita Ford and Sebastian Bach. They were heading to the Chicago suburb of Wauconda for an outdoor show Saturday with Ford, Bach and Warrant.

Brennan said the two bands were taking SUVs to the Wauconda venue, which is about 170 miles from Moline, and were expected to make it to the show in time.