As someone who historically likes to sit near the back of the plane, I will be reconsidering all seating choices after seeing this.
After landing from a flight from Barbados, a JetBlue plane had a scary incident happen at the gate. The Airbus A321ceo tipped backward, crushing the hind wheels, leaving the nose of the aircraft tipped upwards.
Can you imagine how scary it would be to know you landed safely and then have a feeling like the plane was popping a wheelie like it was going to take off again?
JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski told the New York Post:
“Once at the gate, due to a shift in weight and balance during deplaning, the tail of the aircraft tipped backward, causing the nose of the aircraft to lift up and eventually return back down.
No injuries were reported. Safety is JetBlue’s first priority; we are reviewing this incident, and the aircraft has been taken out of service for inspection.”
The incident happened around 8 p.m. last night at JFK.
While calculations are done prior to each flight to ensure the center of gravity is kept during, before, and after each flight, there was a miscalculation on this flight, leading to the front wheels popping off the ground. These calculations are why flight attendants often ask passengers to shift seats on emptier flights.
While thankfully no injuries were reported, it puts into perspective that airplanes are calculated and complicated machines that somehow fly through the sky.
It makes me reconsider griping next time when a flight attendant asks me to move seats.
