Delta flight makes emergency landing at JFK

A mechanical problem on a LaGuardia Airport-bound Delta Air Lines flight forced the jet to make an emergency landing at Kennedy Airport Wednesday night where it came to a stop on a grassy area after leaving a taxiway, officials said.

Flight 886, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 twin-engine jet with 118 passengers and a crew of five aboard, sustained an unknown hydraulic system malfunction as it neared LaGuardia, said officials with the airline and the FAA Wednesday night.

The flight left Atlanta at 6:45 p.m. and upon descent into the New York metropolitan area, the crew "got an indicator that there may be an issue with the hydraulic system of the aircraft," said Leslie Scott, a Delta spokeswoman.

"They elected to divert to JFK because JFK has longer runways," Scott said, adding that the plane landed without incident at about 9 p.m.

"But then once they were taxiing to the gate at JFK, the plane did exit the taxiway," coming to a stop in a grassy section. Passengers exited the plane and were bused to a terminal, Scott said. No one was injured.

Delta's maintenance team will examine the aircraft, she said. A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said the agency will investigate the incident.