Emergency Landing?

As if flying was not complicated and scary enough as it was, now a Boeing 767 had to make an emergency landing in the John F. Kennedy International Airport... A Moscow-bound flight carrying more than 200 people returned safely to JFK International Airport after one of its two engines failed Sunday night. Reports say that no one was injured.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown reported that Delta Flight 30 reported that the left engine of the Boeing 767 had failed shortly after takeoff. The plane departed at about 4:40 p.m. with 193 passengers and 11 crew members.

It fascinates me how paranoid TSA is about any explosives making it on a plane, but no technicians are hired to check the plane’s safety for the passengers sake? It seems these days plane failures are more likely to endanger your flight than a terrorist attack. If they insist on having us jump through all their hoops, wouldn’t it only be fair that they make sure the planes we are flying in are also safe?

Brown said she couldn't confirm reports that the plane struck a bird before the engine failed. She said that probably won't be known until the engine is examined during an FAA investigation. (Of course! No surprises there with the standard answer)

Passenger Jim Mandel of Moscow told reporters that they heard "a banging sound" soon after takeoff.

"We didn't know what it was," said Mandel, who was visiting New York with his wife. "Shortly after that, the pilot came on the public speaker system. ... He said it was the left engine but otherwise that the plane would be able to fly normally."

Passengers were transferred to another flight, which was scheduled to depart for Moscow later Sunday night.

Luckily everyone was safe and sound, but the only people to thank in this situation are the pilots who were able to handle the unexpected situation. But for now, I think I’ll stick to driving for the holidays!