A passenger plane bound for New York was forced to make an emergency landing after colliding with a coyote during takeoff.
JetBlue Flight 1129 struck an unidentified animal after taking off from Rhode Island TF Green International Airport Tuesday morning, according to the FAA.
The incident occurred around 6.40 am and although the pilot initially tried to proceed, the flight was forced to turn back after 15 minutes.
A JetBlue spokesperson said the crew decided to return “out of an abundance of caution.”
Passenger Erin Drozda said WPRI: “We were in the air for 10 to 15 minutes, and then suddenly the captain came.
“(He) said, ‘It’s the flight crew. If anyone heard that rumble, we hit a coyote, and now we’re going back to Providence.’
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“At first we thought it was a joke,” Drozda said.
“We were like, is that code for something else? What’s going on? We didn’t know.
“We thought it was a joke on you actually, because I mean you’ve never heard of it.”
When the flight landed back in Rhode Island, emergency crews were waiting on the street.
After inspecting the damage to the front of the plane, passengers were asked to disembark so airport staff could conduct a full inspection.
These investigations revealed no structural damage to the aircraft or its passengers.
“We got off the plane and stayed inside for about half an hour, and then they told us everything was OK, and we were able to get back on the plane,” Drozda said.
The flight finally took off just after 8.30 am and landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport shortly after 9 am.
The journey which should have taken half an hour took more than two hours for the aggrieved passengers.
An airport spokesperson told CBS that fortunately, this strange incident did not affect any other flights that day.
However, this was not the case for Drozda and his partner.
The couple missed their flight to Costa Rica due to delays, but they were able to book a new flight for Wednesday.
This isn’t the first time JetBlue has made news.
Several people were injured in October when a JetBlue passenger plane suddenly fell from altitude.
airbus 320 gone Mexico And it was headed to Newark Airport in New Jersey, but was forced to divert to Tampa, Florida where it made an emergency landing.
The plane reached an altitude of 35,000 feet and a speed of more than 620 mph, but about an hour into the flight the plane suddenly went down.
Subsequently, JetBlue representatives said the aircraft had been removed from service so it could be inspected.
A spokesperson said, “The safety of our customers and crew members is always our first priority, and we will work to support those involved.”
