Problem forces Hawaii-bound jetliner to return to LA airport

LOS ANGELES — A Hawaii-bound jetliner has returned safely to Los Angeles after reporting a mechanical problem shortly after takeoff.

Hawaiian Airlines Flight 3 landed about 2:18 p.m. Monday. The Airbus A330 had 290 passengers and 10 crew people on board.

Airline spokeswoman Ann Botticelli said a cockpit light indicating a potential problem came on, and the pilot returned as a precaution.

She did not know the nature of the issue.

The flight to Honolulu took off from LAX shortly before 1 p.m. Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott says the plane declared an emergency around 1:30 p.m.

It circled off the California coast to burn fuel before landing.