JetBlue Passengers Hurt in Hard Landing

It was a frightening end to a short flight from Long Beach to Sacramento on Thursday.

Authorities said a JetBlue plane made a hard landing around 1 p.m. It was hard enough for the plane to have two blown tires.

A fire also broke out on the plane when it arrived at the Sacramento International Airport but was quickly extinguished, the Sacramento Fire Department told KCRA-TV.   You can see their live feed of the situation here.

JetBlue said it appears the jet experienced trouble with the brakes as it was landing.

Fifteen minor injuries were reported. Four people were taken to a hospital by ambulance, according to reports but none of the injuries are considered serious.

There were 86 passengers on board and five crewmembers. Flight 262 was en route from Long Beach.

Exit chutes were deployed on the plane. The airline said the crew elected to evacuate the jet as a safety precaution.

The FAA released the following statement about the incident:

Jet Blue Flight 262, an Airbus A320, blew one or more tires while landing on Runway 16R at Sacramento International Airport at 12:50 p.m. The tire(s) began smoking or caught fire, and the crew deployed emergency slides. There were 91 people on board the plane. Passengers evacuated the plane using the slides. We have no immediate reports of evacuation related injuries. The plane is still on the runway but there haven't been any delays. The airport is operating efficiently for now on one runway.

Family and friends who were at the airport to meet the passengers were quickly taken to an adjacent building to meet the passengers.

Passengers told reporters there were no "hiccups" getting off the plane. One woman from Huntington Beach said she didn't realize there would be a slide - she thought she would have to jump from the plane. Some of the passengers were exchanging Facebook information so that they could friend each other.

The tarmac had to be searched for rubber debris from the tire blow outs following the landing.  Workers walked in lines carrying trash bags as they looked for any tiny piece from the tires that might interfere with future landings. 

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