By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

A United Airlines Express flight en route from Washington Dulles to Boston diverted to Delaware’s New Castle Airport near Wilmington after the plane’s pilots reported smoke in the cockpit, Federal Aviation Administration officials tell The Associated Press. United Flight 3759 had 61 passengers and four crew on board when the Canadair CRJ700 regional jet diverted and landed safely at the Delaware airport around 9:45 a.m. ET, according to The News Journal of Wilmington. No one was hurt, according to reports from the scene. LOCAL REPORT: United Express jet makes emergency landing at New Castle Airport (The News Journal) The flight was operated by United Express affiliate Mesa Airlines. Flight 3759 passenger Sarah Barney tells AP via e-mail that she first noticed something unusual when the plane began to descend only about 20 minutes into flight. The AP has more of Barney’s account, writing: “Soon after, the plane’s air masks came down. Barney, a frequent flier, said the captain came on to say they would be returning to Dulles. She said she smelled a gas-like scent and people closer to the front of the plane noticed smoke. She said the ride was ‘extremely rocky’ and passengers were asked to keep their seatbelts on and be ready for an emergency exit on landing.” “The last four minutes of the flight were terrifying and I think all of us were quite unsure of how it was going the end,” Barney says in her email to AP. The News Journal says firefighters met the jet after on arrival and that the Delaware Air National Guard base provided buses to take the passengers and crew to the terminal.