WHITE PLAINS, NY — A flight from Westchester County Airport to Orlando made an unexpected stop in Queens after Mother Nature interrupted the itinerary.
The JetBlue Flight 195 was struck by lightning shortly after takeoff from the airport in White Plains on Tuesday. The Airbus A320 was hit by lightning while climbing to cruising altitude prompting the precautionary diversion to JFK.
In radio transmissions, just moments after takeoff, air traffic controllers asked the flight crew if they were declaring an emergency.
"No, we just got struck by lightning on the climb out from White Plains, and it fried our weather radar and we can't continue," the pilots told controllers.
Patch has reached out to JetBlue for more details.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
White Plains, NY Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.