A Dallas-bound American Airlines flight from Tokyo was forced to make an emergency landing in Honolulu after its pilots heard some noise in the cockpit; which later turned out to be a squirrel.

Airline spokesman John Hotard told The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the pilot made the decision to land midway as he feared that the animal could have chewed through wiring or caused other problems.

State Agriculture Department spokeswoman Janelle Saneishi said they killed the squirrel for fears she might be carrying rabies. The rodent was captured by state and federal agriculture and wildlife officials.

All the 202 stranded passengers of Boeing 777 had to be put to hotel rooms Friday and later rebooked on other flights. It is still not clear how the squirrel entered the plane's premises.

The captured animal is the eastern gray squirrel - a species native to parts of North America. It has also been introduced to other areas, including South Africa, England and Italy.