Passenger Jet Makes Emergency Stop
By Noah Haglund
The Post and Courier
A New York-bound Delta passenger jet traveling from West Palm Beach, Fla., made an emergency stop Tuesday morning in Charleston after an engine failed, aviation authorities said.
The 87 passengers on Delta flight No. 1842 landed safely at 9:14 a.m.
“If you’re on the airplane, it was a big deal, but then again, this is what everybody trains for,” said David Jennings, chairman of the Charleston County Aviation Authority. “The aircraft is equipped to handle it, the flight crew is equipped to handle it.”
Emergency crews were ready on the ground but were not necessary, said Becky Beaman, director of public affairs for Charleston International Airport.
All passengers left Charleston for New York on other flights, said Susan Elliott, a Delta spokeswoman. The airplane was an MD-88, a McDonnell Douglas model with two tail-mounted engines and space for about 142 passengers.
All two-engine transport aircraft are designed and certified by FAA to operate on one engine in all phases of flight, said Jim Burin, director of Technical Programs for the Flight Safety Foundation, an Alexandria, Va.-based nonprofit group.
“Although single-engine operations and landings are not normal, they are not unheard of,” Burin said.
