15 Injured in JetBlue Flight 'Hard Landing'
A JetBlue flight survived a hard landing at the Sacramento, California airport on Thursday, August 26. The plane, an Airbus A320, blew at least two of its tires when it landed at just after 1 p.m. (PST) coming in from Long Beach. Fifteen passengers were injured and many had to exit the aircraft via the emergency slides.
Witnesses looking out the window at the airport were surprised to see the passengers standing around the plane as fire trucks arrived, according to the report by the Associated Press. The wheels had caught fire during the landing, causing the tires to blow out. An AP report for CBS News quoted a passenger. "We were then told to start evacuating very abruptly, you know 'Get out! Get out! Get out!'" said the passenger, who identified himself as Elvis. "I looked back under the plane, and it was on fire, and all four tires were out."
The injuries to the 15 passengers who were hurt have been reported as minor. The AP/CBS report says an "incident command center" has been arranged for the passengers.
According to a report by the local ABC News station, News 10, it will take hours before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators have had the chance to check the plane before it is moved from the runway and the runway is cleaned and open to use by other flights.
The NTSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States, even relatively minor accidents such as this one. The NTSB's jurisdiction additionally covers trains and other vehicle accidents. The Board is also responsible for issuing safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents, maintaining a government database on civil aviation accidents and conducting studies of transportation safety issues of national significance. One example of a recent investigation of the Board, was that into code sharing, reviewed in connection with the investigation over the crash of Continental Connection flight 3407 in 2009.
For now, the passengers of the Jet Blue flight are concentrating on completing their trips. The AP writes that any family and friends of the passengers who would like to contact JetBlue with questions can do so by calling 1-800-JetBlue.
Related Resources:
- 15 injured in hard landing at Sacramento airport (AP, Mercury News)
- Product Liability and Aviation Accidents (FindLaw)
- Aviation Accident -- Plaintiff (FindLaw)
- 2 Settle in Continental Flight 3407 Crash (FindLaw's Injured)
- Personal Injury FAQ (provided by Herrling Clark Law Firm Ltd.)
- Personal Injury Overview (provided by Gay & Chacker)
