WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A late morning JetBlue flight from Palm Beach International Airport headed to LaGuardia Airport in New York City was forced to turn around just minutes after takeoff and make an emergency landing Sunday.
The plane made it back safely without incident or injuries. But for passengers, it was a long travel day.
As of 7 p.m. Sunday, Flight 62 to LaGuardia was listed as "delayed."
A JetBlue employee said the plane took off about seven and a half hours after its first takeoff and its emergency landing.
The bird strike comes two days after a near tragedy in New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport — a near collision between a Delta jet speeding up to take off and an American Airlines jet crossing the same runway.
The Delta jet was able to stop and avoid a collision.
"It was like a split second of panic...that resulted in this audible reaction on the plane,” said passenger Brian Healy. "I felt then adrenaline and there was total quiet on the plane, and then there was relief when the plane came to a stop."
The bird strike at PBI ironically comes on the 14th anniversary of the "Miracle on the Hudson," when a US Airways flight had to make an emergency landing in the Hudson River after Canadian Geese were caught in the plane's engine.
Pilot Sully Sullenberger landed the plane safely in the river, leading to a water rescue in which all 155 passengers who sat on the plane's wings were brought to safety.
Sunday's emergency landing at PBIA was an inconvenience by comparison.
An email from JetBlue corporate read, "Our team is working to accommodate customers on later flights," an email from JetBlue corporate said, indicating it tried get passengers to New York as quickly as possible.
But Sunday was a tough day for JetBlue passengers to New York City, as two flights to LaGuardia and one to JFK Airport were delayed — although only the first LaGuardia delay was caused by the bird strike.
