2LT International News

NEW YORK CITY, New York: A Delta Air Lines plane was forced to return to New York’s JFK Airport following takeoff on April 26 after an emergency slide fell off and pilots felt the vibration.

After takeoff, the pilots got an alert about the emergency slide on the plane’s right side and heard an unusual sound coming from that area of the Boeing 767 jet, which was manufactured in 1990, Delta said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the crew reported a vibration.

The airline added that pilots declared an emergency so the flight could be re-routed quickly to the airport.

The plane had 176 passengers, two pilots and five flight attendants on board, and was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles.

Delta said the passengers traveled to their destination on another plane, noting that the plane was removed from service for evaluation and stressing that it was cooperating with investigators and supporting efforts to find the slide.

Delta said in a statement, “As nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, Delta flight crews enacted their extensive training and followed procedures to return to JFK.”