Passengers deplaned, firefighters respond to JFK JetBlue flight that experienced apparent flameout: sources

JetBlue Embraer 190 airplane at New York JFK airport on March 1, 2020.

NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A JetBlue flight out of the John F. Kennedy Airport on Saturday was aborted after a fire was reported on board in what appears to be an engine flameout, sources told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880.

Fire officials received a call reporting a plane engine on fire at 8:26 p.m. on Saturday night, the FDNY said. No action was taken by the FDNY, and no injuries were reported.

According to the New York City Office of Emergency Management (NYCEM), at that time JFK operations received a report of a fire upon JetBlue flight #355 to Ontario, CA.

Both FDNY and the Port Authority Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Unit responded to the call; however, there was no fire on board, and the plane did not run off the runway, NYCEM said.

Passengers were deplaned so that officials could figure out what triggered the alarm, officials said.

Sources told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 that it appears the engine had a flameout upon ignition. A flameout is an instance of the flame in the combustion chamber of a jet engine being extinguished, which results in a loss of power.

The plane took off at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday to reach its destination of Ontario, CA.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to 1010 WINS/WCBS 880’s request for comment.