JetBlue plane makes emergency landing at airport

A passenger jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Westchester County Airport after striking two geese on takeoff, according to airport officials.

The plane safely landed and no one was injured, authorities said. The plane, JetBlue Flight 571, was headed to Palm Beach, Fla., from Westchester County Airport. Departure time was scheduled for 6:45 p.m., and the aircraft landed a few minutes before 7 p.m.

Staff at the airport said preliminary reports indicate the geese were sucked into the aircraft's engine.

"Shortly after it departed, the crew did declare an emergency to Westchester County Airport controllers and returned and landed safely at 6:52 p.m.," said Jim Peters, an FAA spokesman. "We're waiting to hear from the pilot on exactly what happened."

The passenger plane was identified as an E-190, a small jet produced by Brazilian-based Embraer that can carry up to 75 passengers, Peters said. There were a total of 54 passengers and four crew members on board, according to JetBlue spokeswoman Real Hamilton-Romeo.

The passengers got off safely and were placed on another flight, according to JetBlue.

"Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the passengers and crew onboard, the captain elected to return to the gate," the company said in a statement. "The flight landed safely without incident in Westchester County. The passengers are being boarded to another aircraft and the flight will depart for West Palm Beach once complete."

An FAA investigator was headed toward Westchester County Airport from the agency's Teterboro, N.J., office, Peters said.

Tuesday night's incident at Westchester County Airport follows another emergency landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport last week. In that incident, a Los Angeles-bound Boeing 757 was forced to land shortly after takeoff when a so-called "bird strike" damaged its engines.

A collision with a flock of geese also was blamed for the infamous 2009 Hudson River landing by pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who guided an Airbus A320 onto the river in a spectacular emergency landing.

Check back for more information as it becomes available.