The Boeing 767-300 was headed to Los Angeles with 176 passengers and a crew of seven on board. About half an hour after takeoff from JF Kennedy International Airport, the pilots registered an unusual sound near the right wing, followed by vibrations.
“We have an indication that one of the latches is open. We begin to vibrate on the right side. We are not declaring an emergency at this time, but we want to return to Kennedy Airport as soon as possible,” the captain said, according to the recording, which was quoted by ABC7.com.
“It sounded like something had hit the side of the plane. Something wasn’t right. We all looked at each other and knew it didn’t look good,” passenger Ayoka Lucas later described her feelings.
After landing safely in New York, the first inspection showed that an emergency chute located near the right wing had come loose in flight. It has not yet been found.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our clients. Delta crews undergo extensive training. In this case too, the staff followed the prescribed procedure and returned to the airport,” said the airline’s spokesperson. “We appreciate their professionalism and the patience of our customers who have been delayed,” he added.
After landing, passengers transferred to another plane and took off for Los Angeles with a three-hour delay while the 33-year-old Boeing was thoroughly inspected by inspectors and taken out of service. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident.
The media recalled that Friday’s event is another in a series of technical incidents involving Boeing-type aircraft. In January of this year, a part of the fuselage and a window of the brand new Boeing 737 MAX 9 of Alaska Airlines came loose while the machine was at an altitude of five thousand meters.
In March, a Boeing 777 lost a wheel after takeoff, which damaged several cars when it hit the ground. A few weeks ago, a Boeing 737-800 had to turn back shortly after takeoff when a piece of the engine fairing came loose.
Another plane lost a component in the air. A piece of the fairing fell off the Airbus
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