A JetBlue flight to New York was thrown into chaos after it reportedly smashed into a coyote while taking off from a Rhode Island airport Tuesday morning.
A loud thud rattled the cabin of Flight 1129 after its landing gear struck the four-legged predator while roaring down the runway at T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick around 6 a.m., according to JetBlue and a shaken passenger.
The aircraft continued climbing but was forced to turn back about 15 minutes later.
“We heard a thud and then after the thud, we still took off,” passenger Erin Drozda told WPRI.
“We were up in the air for 10-15 minutes, and then all of a sudden the captain came on and said, ‘This is the flight crew. If anyone heard a thud, we hit a coyote and we are now on our way back to Providence.’’
Drozda, who was traveling with her wife, initially thought the announcement was a joke until they landed back at the Providence-area airport, where they were met by fire crews and other first responders.
“We thought it was a joke at first,” she said, adding that “you don’t ever hear that.”
The plane, bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, took off from Rhode Island around 6:16 a.m. and reached an altitude of 3,700 feet when it looped back about 12 minutes later and touched down at 6:40 a.m., FlightAware data shows.
Drozda said the 50 travelers on board were stuck on the runway as emergency crews inspected the plane’s nose, but were deplaned a short time later for a thorough safety check.
“We got off the plane and stayed inside for about another half hour or so, and then they told us that everything was OK and we were able to get back on the plane,” she said, noting that the kerfuffle caused the couple to miss their connecting flight to Costa Rica, the outlet reported.
Data showed the plane was back in the air by 8:34 a.m. and finally landed at JFK at 9:06 a.m.
No injuries were reported in the crash – with JetBlue stressing the decision to turn around was made “out of an abundance of caution.”
“The flight landed safely and a full inspection was done on the aircraft with no issues reported,” the airline told CBS News in a statement.
JetBlue and T.F. Green International Airport did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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