Bird strike

Engine Fire Forces JetBlue Flight to Abort Takeoff

Aircraft Departing Puerto Rico Carried 186 Passengers and Six Crew Members

By SUSAN CAREY And ANDY PASZTOR

A JetBlue Airways Corp. JBLU plane bound for New York aborted takeoff Saturday night from San Juan, Puerto Rico, after its left engine caught fire following a bird strike, prompting pilots to evacuate the plane using emergency slides.

JetBlue said preliminary reports suggested that Flight 704, an Airbus A321 single-aisle jet carrying 186 passengers and six crew members, suffered "bird ingestion in the number one engine."

Damage to jet engines from hitting birds isn't uncommon but such events rarely result in fires.

The New York-based discount airline, which has sizable operations in Puerto Rico, said three passengers on Flight 704 suffered minor injuries during the evacuation Saturday night. They were taken to hospitals in San Juan, but quickly released.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.

A makeup flight, JetBlue 8104, departed at 3:30 a.m. Sunday and arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at 7:09 a.m., JetBlue said.

Firefighters at the airport put out the fire. An FAA spokesman said a runway in San Juan was shut down "for a period."