Scary moments for UMass basketball team

ALBANY, N.Y. (WWLP) - Update: Jim Peters of the Federal Aviation Administration told 22News that the Albany Flight Standards District Office is investigating the cause of the smoke. Peters says it usually takes a couple of days to determine the problem.

Update: The UMass basketball team landed safely around 12:15am on Wednesday morning. 

A plane carrying the UMass basketball team had to make an emergency landing on Tuesday afternoon.

UMass Sports Information Director, Jason Yellin, who was on the plane, told 22News that there was smoke in the cockpit.

The flight crew decided to land at the closest airport. It landed safely in Albany and everyone is okay. That was around 4:15 Tuesday afternoon.

The chartered flight left from Chicopee's Westover Air Reserve Base on its way to Bradford, Pennsylvania. UMass has a game Wednesday night against St. Bonaventure. UMass Head Coach, Derek Kellogg, says there were some scary moments for the Minutemen.

"There was some tension in the air as our plane was diverted to the airport, but at the same token, I think our guys realize at times things happen and a little adversity hits a team every now and again, and that everybody is safe and on the ground, our feet are planted right now."

This is what some of the players tweeted after they landed.

Anthony Gurley: "Emergency landing in Albany, I don't know what's going on right now."

Sampson Carter: "Guess I gotta get my life together cuz boy my mind was scrambling."

Gary Correia: "That was some scary stuff, I'm glad we all right."

The team spent more than seven hours at an airport in Albany before boarding another chartered plane that took it to Bradford, Pennsylvania.  The plane touched down safely, a little after midnight on Wednesday morning.  The team waited for the plane that took Villanova to its game at Providence, then that plane flew to Albany to pickup the Minutemen.

Coach Kellogg tweeted, "Wheels down, we have landed in Bradford for our game at St. Bona, thanks for all the well wishes!"