Regular flight B61230 from Cancún, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, United States turned into a terrifying ordeal on Thursday, 30th of October, when a JetBlue Airbus A320 suddenly plunged thousands of metres in just a few minutes. The aircraft, registered N605JB (Boston Red Sox Livery), diverted for an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, after what the airline later described as a “flight control issue.”
According to Flightradar24 data, the Airbus was cruising steadily at 35,000 feet (10,668 metres) around 18:59 UTC when, within only six minutes, it had dropped to 18,125 feet (5,524 metres) — a sudden descent of more than 5,100 metres.
The pilots declared an emergency and diverted to Tampa International Airport, where the aircraft landed safely around 14:19 local time.
Leaked audio recordings of the radio communication, shared on LiveATC.net, revealed the seriousness of the situation. “We have at least three injuries. It looks like someone has a head injury,” the pilot reported to air traffic control.
Upon landing, medical teams met the aircraft on the ground. Between 15 and 20 passengers were evaluated, and 15 were transported to nearby hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, according to local media reports.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that it has opened an investigation into the incident, describing it as a “flight control issue”. JetBlue stated that the aircraft has been taken out of service for inspection: “The safety of our customers and crew members is our highest priority.”