A JetBlue flight traveling from New York City to San Diego made an emergency landing in Kansas on Saturday evening following an alert of possible smoke in the cargo hold.
The incident left some passengers in tears as the aircraft descended rapidly, dropping more than 30,000 feet in under 10 minutes before landing safely at Salina Regional Airport. Fortunately, the smoke alert turned out to be a false alarm, according to the airline.
JetBlue Flight 1189 had taken off from JFK Airport and was en route to San Diego when the pilots received an alert suggesting smoke in the cargo area around 6:30 p.m. In response, the plane made a swift descent and landed without incident.
“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,” a JetBlue spokesperson confirmed in a statement on Sunday.
“Upon inspection, we determined the smoke indication presented to our pilots was a false indication,” the company stated.
The sudden descent caused panic among the 130 passengers on board.
“Some people were crying. It was a little bit intense for a few minutes,” Passenger Seth Odell described the tense atmosphere.
He added that the flight crew acted swiftly and efficiently to organize the situation, providing reassurance once the plane was on the ground.
According to reports, some passengers heard a loud bang during the descent, adding to the fear. Although no fire or smoke was found upon landing, Salina Fire Battalion Chief Derrick Herzog suggested that the issue may have been electrical. The exact cause of the alert remains undetermined, and the plane has been sent to Boston for further inspection.
The emergency landing left passengers stranded at the small Salina airport, which had minimal facilities. Local school buses were dispatched to transport travelers to the terminal, where they were provided with snacks and water while waiting for a replacement aircraft. JetBlue sent another plane from Boston to pick up the passengers, who were eventually able to continue their journey, though the delay lasted about eight hours.
Despite the scare, no injuries were reported. JetBlue assured that safety remained their top priority and that the aircraft’s fire suppression system had been deployed as a precaution. The incident highlights the challenges and uncertainties of inflight emergencies, though in this case, it ended without any significant issues.
New York Post, the Economic Times, and Simple Flying contributed to this report.
