JetBlue flight to West Palm Beach was forced to return to New York JFK after 3 metal pieces fell from the aircraft.
JetBlue flight #B6153 departed New York JFK Airport at 20:37 EDT on Tuesday, July 2 2024 to West Palm Beach.
Shortly after takeoff, pilots of another JetBlue flight contacted the tower after seeing pieces dropping from the aircraft on runway 13L.
The flight was operated by an Airbus A320 (registration N507JT) which is 24 years old, delivered to the airline in 2000.
The tower then contacted the flight #B6153 which confirmed an issue and vibrations after gear retraction. The pilots requested to go to a lower altitude.
The runway then was closed to for ground vehicles to inspect the debris. The ground crew then confirmed to have found 3 pieces of metal.
Pilots confirmed 165 passengers and crew on board.
The flight then was vectored to the long runway 22L while the crew declared an emergency.
After landing, the A320 stopped on a taxiway while ground vehicles inspected the brakes and engine cowling.
The aircraft was then cleared to taxi back to the gate where passengers disembakred.
Another A320 aircraft (registration N636JB) performed the flight to West Palm Beach about 4 hours later.