PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — A private plane carrying magician David Copperfield made an unscheduled stop in Illinois after it made a "frightening" sound en route from Las Vegas to New York.

Peoria International Airport officials say Copperfield's plane landed there after it began experiencing problems around 1:45 a.m. Monday.

The (Peoria) Journal Star reports (http://tinyurl.com/crvxjjr ) that Copperfield was supposed to appear live on NBC's Today Show on Monday, but ended up filming the interview remotely from Byerly Aviation in Peoria, 160 miles southwest of Chicago.

The famed illusionist told the Today Show that the plane made crackling noises at 37,000 feet that he recorded on his cellphone. He says he "kind of freaked out." He also Tweeted that the incident was "so scary."

Copperfield took a commercial flight back to Las Vegas this morning.