A United Airlines flight blew two tires as it made an unscheduled landing at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday morning — a landing that injured no one but caused other flights to be delayed, officials said.
United Airlines Flight 2098 had a mechanical issue upon taking off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and it was diverted to Newark, United said.
The plane, which was supposed to fly to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, landed at Newark at about 8:45 a.m. ET and blew two left main tires, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Emergency slides inflated on the side of the plane, and those aboard used them to get to ground, passenger John Murray told CNN.
“All I know is that 10 minutes after takeoff we weren’t getting much altitude, we were just circling around northern New Jersey and not going anywhere,” he said. “That’s when we landed … at Newark.”
“Emergency crews ushered us out of the plane” after landing, he said.
The FAA said the crew had reported a brake problem before the landing. Further details about the issue weren’t immediately available.
Arrivals and departures delayed
The airport tweeted around 8:45 a.m. that no arrivals or departures were being allowed because of an emergency. About an hour later, the airport said it had reopened — but that travelers should expect delays.
All passengers eventually were taken to a terminal, Murray said. He said he was looking into getting another flight.
United said Saturday that its pilots “reacted quickly to ensure the safety of the aircraft and our customers, who deplaned using deployed slides after landing.”
“There are no reported injuries and we’re making alternate arrangements to get our customers to their final destination as soon as possible,” the company said.
