Trending

Bird strike forces jet to make emergency landing at JFK Airport

The plane was bound for Charlotte, North Carolina.
Emergency landing: File photo. An American Airlines jet made an emergency landing at JFK International Airport after a bird strike disabled an engine. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

NEW YORK — A bird strike involving an American Airlines jet bound for Charlotte, North Carolina, disabled one of the plane’s two engines shortly after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Thursday, forcing the flight to divert to nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport, authorities said Friday.

American Airlines Flight 1722 took off around 7:43 p.m. ET and landed around 8 p.m. at JFK, WABC reported, citing FlightAware. The Associated Press reported that the pilot of the Airbus A321 declared an emergency at 7:52 p.m. and diverted to JFK, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said in a statement.

Airline officials said there were 190 passengers and six crew members on the aircraft at the time, according to WPIX.

There were no injuries reported, officials said. The plane is being inspected by American Airlines’ maintenance team, the television station reported.

The flight was rescheduled for Friday.

“We are grateful to our crew for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this may have caused,” American Airlines said in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the case.

Thursday’s bird strike was similar to the one that caused a US Airways jet that hit a flock of birds on Jan. 15, 2009, to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River, the AP reported.

The “Miracle on the Hudson” also involved an aircraft headed from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte. The jet lost power in both engines shortly after takeoff.

Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger was touted as a hero after he landed the plane in the river and all 155 people on board were rescued.

0
Comments on this article
0

mobile apps

Everything you love about wsbradio.com and more! Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app.

amazon alexa

Enable our Skill today to listen live at home on your Alexa Devices!