(CNN) – A commuter flight carrying Sen. Lindsey Graham to Washington was forced to return to South Carolina on Monday where it made an emergency landing, the lawmaker tweeted.
The South Carolina Republican tweeted the experience after ExpressJet Flight 5740 returned to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport about 30 minutes after takeoff for Washington.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident, saying a cockpit indicator showed a possible problem with plane’s right engine.
Graham tweeted that the engine was making a “strange sound” before the pilot declared an emergency.
The plane landed safely at about 3 p.m. ET.
Graham spokesman Kevin Bishop said the Senator sought a different flight to Washington for the first votes of the New Year.
Graham tweeted:
CNN's Mike Ahlers, Leslie Bentz and Dana Davidsen contributed to this report.