Officials say Flight 177 landed safely at Buffalo Niagara International Airport shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday.
The flight was headed from JFK International Airport to San Francisco when the pilot noticed smoke in the cockpit.
All 173 passengers were escorted off the plane. No injuries were reported.
WGRZ-TV (http://on.wgrz.com/tnXOTW) reports the airline is inspecting the plane to try to pinpoint the problem.