By Ivan Pereira
A pilot’s quick thinking during an emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport Saturday night prevented serious injuries among the 64 people aboard the flight, officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are currently reviewing what caused the landing gear on Delta Airlines Flight 4951 to malfunction. The plane, which was traveling from Atlanta to White Plains, N.Y., could not lower the landing gear on its right side but landed at JFK around 8:20 p.m., according to the FAA.
The flight crew warned the 60 passengers onboard that they would make the touchdown on runway 31R.
“Brace for impact!” a flight attendant shouted through the plane’s PA system. “Head’s down! Stay down!” she repeatedly commanded as the plane made its landing.
Although sparks flew off the right side of the wing, there was no fire and no one was hurt during the emergency procedure that ended in loud applause from the passengers. Some of them captured the moments on their cell phones and the footage has been circulating on the Internet.
The pilot, who the FAA would not identify, has received praise from Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which operated the CRJ 900 jet for Delta, for his bravery.
“Atlantic Southeast Airlines is extremely proud of the actions and professionalism displayed by the flight crew and cabin crew of Flight 4951. Our crew members are fully trained to respond to all types of abnormal and emergency situations, and this crew did an exceptional job of following procedure to ensure the safety of our passengers,” the airline said in a statement.
In the meantime, the FAA said it would work closely with the airline to find the exact cause of the malfunction.
“Anytime something like that happens we send an aviator safety expert,” FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
