All 152 people aboard JetBlue flight 2581 got quite a scare Monday after the pilot reported a possible fire in the baggage compartment, which caused the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville.
According to FlightAware, the Airbus took off from Ft. Lauderdale at 11:04 a.m. and was heading to Nashville when it made a detour around 11:45 a.m due to an indicator light that was signaling a fire in the front cargo hold.
The plane landed safely at Jacksonville International Airport at 12:04 p.m. and is currently being checked out by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
“I've been flying 15 to 20 years and I’ve never ever been on a plane that’s been diverted, never ever,” passenger Kim Christ said. “The great news is they landed very safely, could’ve been much worse.”
Christ said it didn’t take long for her to realize the plane was starting its descent far before Nashville.
“They said a signal had come on and there was something going on in the cargo area and we needed to land in Jacksonville so that they could check it out,” she added.
JetBlue released a statement to First Coast News saying:
"On Monday, JetBlue flight 2581 from Fort Lauderdale to Nashville diverted to Jacksonville out of an abundance of caution following an alert of possible smoke in the cargo hold. The flight landed safely around noon. Initial inspections of the aircraft found no signs of any issues. The aircraft will be further inspected and customers will continue on to Nashville aboard a new aircraft."
Passengers were rerouted on other planes.
Christ was quite calm when she spoke to First Coast News and said the staff and her fellow passengers were the same while the plane was still in the air.
“Even up there sitting, waiting for the updates, everyone got meal vouchers and everybody is waiting for the updates and everybody is extremely calm and very professional,” she said.
Christ added it was a rare experience, to say the least.
“I rarely fly JetBlue," she said. "Today was the day, they’ve done a great job. I fly every week, that won’t change.”
