A photo taken by actor Jackson Rathbone shortly after JetBlue Flight 1416 made an emergency landing at Long Beach Airport
Staff Writer
A JetBlue Airbus A320 jet en route to Austin, Texas from Long Beach Airport Thursday had to return soon after taking off around 9:15am when crew members reported an emergency with one of the plane’s engines, according to a press release issued by the airline shortly after the incident.
“On Sept. 18, the flight crew aboard Flight 1416 reported an issue with the number-two engine and returned to Long Beach Airport,” states the JetBlue press release. “The airplane landed safely, and all customers and crew have evacuated via slides with no reported injuries at this time.”
At 11am, JetBlue posted an update on its website that stated, “The aircraft has moved from the impacted runway, and flights will be resuming from Runway 12/30. An area crewmember has accompanied one customer who requested transport to an area hospital for observation. We’re working with customers for re-accommodation on alternate flights.”
Actor Jackson Rathbone, who portrayed Jasper Hale in the Twilight film series, was one of the passengers aboard the flight. “From the bus, we all just followed one after another,” he posted to the social-media service Twitter soon after the passengers were escorted back into the airport. “I never felt so okay being a lemming.”
Four people were transported to a hospital for medical treatment— three for smoke inhalation and one for an injury obtained on the plane’s slide, according to media sources.
“I want to thank our airport personnel, public-safety officers, and the pilot and crew of Jet Blue Flight 1416 for managing today’s emergency landing and evacuation so skillfully,” said Long Beach Robert Garcia in an emailed statement Thursday afternoon. “Air travel remains the safest way to travel around our state and country, and that is largely thanks to the great job done by the people who work for our nation’s airports and commercial carriers. We’re grateful that everyone is safe and that Long Beach continues to operate an airport with an exemplary safety record.”
