July 26.Cornelius Today’s Dave Vieser was on Jet Blue flight  No. 218 from Charlotte to JFK when the Embraer made an emergency landing in Raleigh this afternoon. The captain said the problem related to the plane’s hydraulic system. Dave gave this account: “The flight had been delayed for two hours in Charlotte when the captain, during his walk around, spotted what looked like signs of hydraulic fuel leaking. Maintenance made minor repairs in Charlotte but when the plane reached an altitude of about 27,000 feet the same hydraulic system began showing signs of leaking again under pressurization. Out of an abundance of caution, the crew landed the plane uneventfully in Raleigh, though the runway was lined with fire trucks just in case.”

A recovery plane and crew will be flying to Raleigh from Boston later this afternoon to complete the flight. Vieser continues: “In all, we expect to arrive at JFK around 9 pm, about nine hours late.
Complicating the event were the passengers on board who were expecting to make connections at JFK. As of 2 pm airline workers were frantically working to rebook connections to such international destinations as India as well as domestic destinations such as Rochester, NY.”

The plane was an Embraer 190 which seats approx 100 passengers. Most of the passengers on board appear to have been from the Carolina’s.