JetBlue flight headed to San Diego forced to make emergency landing in Kansas airport, reports NBC 7 San Diego | aviation

A JetBlue flight transporting passengers to San Diego diverted from its deliberate route and made an emergency landing at a regional airport in central Kansas Saturday night.

The Airbus airplane flying from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport had landed due to smoke in the cockpit, a consultant of the Salina Airport Authority instructed KSNW, the NBC affiliate in Wichita, Kansas.

“The pilot came on and let us know that he was seeing an alert for smoke in the cargo bay,” mentioned Seth Odell, a passenger on the flight. “Some passengers did report hearing a loud bang, too,” he added.

Fire crews from Salina Fire Department have been dispatched to the airfield at 6:20 p.m. CT Saturday night, about 10 minutes prior to the flight landing, in accordance to Salina Fire Battalion Chief Derrick Herzog.

Odell shared that whereas descending, some condensation mist got here into the airplane by way of its vents which had different passengers questioning whether or not it was smoke or not. Once the flight landed, Odell was relieved, he instructed NBC 7.

All 130 passengers and crewmembers onboard the flight have been offloaded safely with out harm, Herzog added.

Passengers have been ready for a brand new airplane to fly to them earlier than persevering with to San Diego, in accordance to the Salina Airport Authority.

NBC 7 reached out to JetBlue on Saturday and offered the next assertion on Sunday:

“On Saturday, September 21, JetBlue flight 1189 diverted to Salina, Kansas, when the pilots received an alert that there might be smoke in the cargo hold, descending safely and landing without incident. Upon inspection, we determined the smoke indication presented to our pilots was a false indication.“

JetBlue additionally responded to passengers by way of social media.

“Since this isn't an airport we service, it may take a little more time for plans to be implemented,” the airline responded to Odell's submit on X. (*7*) it added.

The Federal Aviation Administration launched a press release concerning the incident:

“JetBlue Airways Flight 1189 landed safely at Salina Regional Airport in Kansas around 6:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, Sept. 21, after the crew reported smoke in the cargo area. The Airbus A320 departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and was headed to San Diego International Airport. The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for more information.”

This is a growing story that will probably be up to date as extra data arrives.

Seth Odell