Tanker plane makes emergency landing

An Air Force fuel tanker landed at Tampa International Airport this morning after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit.

It was just before 11 a.m. when the KC-135 safely touched down on runway 36R at TIA.

Air Force officials say the plane was on a refueling mission and had just taken off from MacDill when the pilot decided the smoke was serious enough to warrant an immediate landing.

There were 19 people on board, but no reports of injuries.

MacDill Air Force Base is home to the 6th Air Mobility Wing, and the large steel-grey refueling tankers are a common sight over South Tampa as they take off and land on air-to-air fueling missions around the region.

From the MyFOX archives: Ride along with a KC-135 on a mission to refuel the Thunderbirds .