By Aaron Cooper, CNN

(CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after a regional jet made an emergency landing in Houston on Wednesday, with the pilots reporting smoke and electrical problems.

United Airlines Express flight 4969, operated by subsidiary CommuteAir, returned to George Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport “after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit,” the FAA said in a statement.

“They are having electrical issues,” the air traffic control tower told emergency crews waiting for the plane to land, according to recordings captured by LiveATC.net. “They are losing electrical.”

The plane parked on a taxiway and the pilots requested to be towed to the terminal.

The landing was “due a potential maintenance issue,” CommuteAir said in a statement.

All passengers were safely returned to the gate and are awaiting another flight to Panama City, Florida.

“We apologize for this inconvenience and are preparing a new aircraft to operate the flight to ECP,” Jason Kadah the airline’s Managing Director, Communications, said in a statement.

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