A Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-300 encountered an activated evacuation slide during departure from New York John F. Kennedy Airport.
The machine, registration N176DN, took off last Friday at 8:00 a.m. local time as flight DL520 in the direction of Los Angeles. During departure, the pilots received an indication of an activated evacuation slide above the right wing. They also noted a non-routine signal near the same spot, as well as a ‘tremor’. The pilots soon declared a state of emergency. “Since nothing is more important than the safety of our travelers and people, Delta flight crews completed extensive training and adhered to procedures to return to JFK,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement to NBC New York. Nevertheless, the 767 climbed to an altitude of 19,000 feet (approximately 6,000 meters).
Return to New York
The aircraft flew northwest of New York holding. The 767 then returned to the American city, after which it lined up for a runway that was parallel to the runway from which it had departed. The machine would take approximately 35 minutes to do so take-off land safely. “After the aircraft had landed safely and taxied to a gate, it was observed that the emergency slide had detached from the aircraft,” the Delta spokesperson explained. Ground crew noticed that the evacuation slide was no longer attached to the 767 after landing.
Inspection of 767
Delta added that the aircraft was temporarily taken out of service after the incident. The maintenance personnel inspected the machine. Today, the 767 is still grounded at New York John F. Kennedy Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident.
