JetBlue Raises Concerns

Reuven Blau and Brad Hamilton-NY Post

Two JetBlue flights made emergency landings at Kennedy Airport last week after they filled with fumes, reported the NY Post.

And a small fire broke out on the body of a third JetBlue plane as it landed in the Bahamas Thursday.

All three mishaps involved the Embraer E190, a slim, mid-sized aircraft and one of two types in the airline’s fleet.

Monday, smoke seeped into the cabin of JetBlue Flight 654, which was bound for Rochester, NY, and carrying 40 passengers, just after takeoff.

“We need to return immediately,” the pilot told air-traffic control, according to a transcript of the transmissions. “We have some smoke in the cabin.”

He briefly lost contact with the tower.

“I’m not hearing your transmissions,” a controller said. “Do you have the field in sight?”

The controller warned other planes to steer clear of Flight 654’s path.

“We are not sure which runway he’s coming to because nobody is talking to us,” he said.

The plane landed safely at JFK at 7:40 a.m. surrounded by emergency vehicles, then taxied under its own power to the terminal, where passengers got off at the gate.

No one was hurt. The Federal Aviation Administration found no fire or cause for the smoke.

A similar scene unfolded on Friday, when an electrical smell filled JetBlue Flight 63, bound for Tampa and carrying 63 passengers, just after it took off.

The plane returned to JFK and landed safely at 6:30 a.m.

On Thursday, JetBlue Flight 1781 flew without incident to Nassau in the Bahamas.

Just as it touched down, fire was spotted on the left side of the aircraft near the engine.

Emergency vehicles extinguished the flames, and the flight’s 89 passengers were evacuated. No one was hurt.

All three troubled planes have been taken out of service while the airline looks into the matter, JetBlue said.