A Delta flight headed from Detroit to Phoenix was forced to make an emergency landing at the Colorado Springs Airport Thursday morning after reporting trouble with its right engine.

Flight 1921, a 757, left Detroit at 8:50 a.m. EST on a routine flight to Phoenix. At about 10:05 a.m., a passenger on the plane said that the captain came on the intercom and told them they were going to make an emergency landing due to engine problems.

Melissa Gray-Murphy said that the Delta crew was very reassuring and kept the passengers calm despite the urgency of the situation.

"They tried to prep us on what to expect when landing...told us there would be fire trucks, but not to worry. The pilot, the flight attendants...all were great."

Other passengers echoed Gray-Murphy's thoughts, saying that the pilot was "awesome." It was the first emergency landing for the pilot in his 40 years of flying. The pilot has been flying since he was 14 years old.

"I kept watching the head stewardess who had a smile on her face the whole time. I knew it was going to be okay, based on her reaction," said Carol Cain, a Detroit television anchor on board Delta flight 1921.

The plane landed at 10:27 a.m. on runway 35 and exited taxiway E.

Ben Fairclough said that as soon as they landed, the captain told them to evacuate the plane. Rescue crews determined that the plane had hot brakes. The FAA reported that the plane had a main gear fire, although Delta spokesman Anthony Black said that the airline can't confirm the report until the plane is examined.

"The captain said to leave all our stuff...we lined up to exit on the left since the engines were on the right. Then they pulled up these slides and we all slid out," Gray-Murphy said.

The passengers were all evacuated on slide chutes. The flight crew wasn't allowing anyone to slow down to get their belongings--one man was trying to put on his shoes when he was told by a flight attendant, "just go!"

"I am shoeless, but we're alive," said Jace Walker.

Three ambulances were waiting at the scene as a precaution. Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs Fire Department and AMR all responded to the incident.

Fairclough, who was sitting in row 44, said that a lot of people on the plane sprinted away from it as soon as they were off the slides, worried about a fire on the plane. Gray-Murphy said she was one of them.

"I went down that slide and I ran...through the runway, through the field...I was scared something was going to blow up."

Shuttles came and took the passengers away from the tarmac, and to the airport terminal. Fairclough, Gray-Murphy and more than 220 other passengers are now waiting at the airport for the next step on their routine trip-turned-odyssey. Two passengers were transported to Memorial Central Hospital after suffering minor injuries during the evacuation.

Another Delta plane sent to Colorado Springs from Phoenix to pick the passengers up was delayed because of weather. But Delta.com is showing that flight 1921 did finally depart Colorado Springs at 6:18 p.m and landed in Phoenix at 8:35 p.m., about 9 hours later than the original arrival time.

Despite the long wait, Gray-Murphy remained in good spirits.

"They even opened up an area of the food court for us...everyone is being so accommodating," she said.