FlightFollowerDelta 520 Returns to JFK After Its Emergency Slide Separates
Delta Flight 520 was climbing away from JFK toward Los Angeles when the crew noticed a vibration, a cockpit indication associated with the right-wing emergency exit and an unusual sound. The Boeing 767 returned to JFK, where the missing emergency slide was discovered after landing.
“returned safely to John F. Kennedy International Airport”
The Vibration Comes First
On April 26, 2024, Delta Flight 520 departed John F. Kennedy International Airport for Los Angeles. The FAA said the crew reported a vibration and the aircraft returned safely to JFK at about 8:35 a.m.
Delta said the crew had noticed an indication related to the emergency exit slide over the right wing and heard a sound from that area. The aircraft was therefore returning before the crew knew exactly what had happened to the slide.
CBS New York reported that the aircraft carried 176 passengers and seven crew members. The aircraft landed and taxied to the gate under its own power.
The Missing Slide Is Found
After the aircraft reached the gate, Delta personnel discovered that the emergency slide had separated from the aircraft. The airline initially supported efforts to locate it while the aircraft was removed from service for evaluation.
By April 29, CBS reported that the slide had been recovered from a jetty near Beach 131st Street in Queens. Delta said it was cooperating with investigators.
The reporting does not establish why the slide separated. The safe reconstruction is therefore the one supported by the FAA and Delta: vibration and an abnormal indication prompted the return, the aircraft landed safely, and the separated slide was discovered and later recovered.
The later recovery of the slide from a Queens jetty provided physical confirmation that the emergency-equipment component had left the aircraft. Delta removed the Boeing 767 from service and said it would cooperate with the investigation. The sources do not establish why the slide separated, so the cause remains outside the documented narrative.
Accident Facts
- Incident date
- 26 Apr 2024
- Aircraft
- B767
- Airports
- JFK (New York JFK)
- Category
- Emergency
- Reconstruction
- 5:56
Sources
- YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSwwfwymOWY
- CBS New York, April 26, 2024: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delta-flight-returns-to-jfk-emergency-exit-slide/
- CBS New York, April 29, 2024: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/delta-exit-slide-found-jfk-emergency-landing/
- ABC News, April 26, 2024: https://abcnews.com/amp/US/delta-planes-emergency-slide-falls-off-flight/story?id=109701348