Alaska Airlines flight from Santa Ana to Seattle diverted to Fresno for 'mechanical issue'

An Alaska Airlines flight heading from Santa Ana, California, to Seattle was diverted to Fresno Sunday night because of "a mechanical issue," the airline said.

Flight 671 took off from John Wayne Airport near Los Angeles at 9:08 p.m., according to flight tracking data.

Soon after reaching cruising altitude, the flight rapidly descended from 40,000 feet to about 10,000 feet to divert to Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

"Flight 671 was diverted to Fresno (FAT) due to an indication of a mechanical issue," Alaska Airlines said in a statement Sunday night. "The aircraft landed safely and there was no emergency on landing. We plan to resume the flight [Monday] with a different aircraft."