A Moscow-bound jet was forced to make a terrifying emergency landing at Kennedy Airport Sunday night after blowing one of its two engines on takeoff — an incident that the pilot believes was caused by a bird strike, officials said.
“We were flying up when there was a flash and the left wing went, ‘Boom!’¤” said Irine Dokuchaeva, 37, of Moscow, who was one of 193 passengers aboard the Delta Boeing 767 when the engine blew around 4:25 p.m.
“We felt [a bump], and the airplane stopped going up. It was flying straight. The captain said, ‘There is a problem, and we need to dump fuel. Don’t worry if you see fuel in the window,’” Dokuchaeva said. “Then we fly, fly, fly. The captain said, ‘If you see fire trucks and police, don’t worry.’ I was absolutely sure everything would be OK. But my friend was crying.”
Her pal, Elena Shalnova, 32, said, “I was very scared. … After we landed, I cried. I have a daughter, and I thought I’d never see her again.”
Full Story: Moscow-bound jet makes emergency landing at JFK; pilot blames bird strike – NYPOST.com