Sir Elton John's private jet was forced to make an emergency landing after suffering hydraulic failure at 10,000 feet, it was reported.
The incident took place on Monday morning while the jet was traveling from the U.K.'s Farnborough Airport to New York, according to The Sun. About an hour into the trip the aircraft suffered hydraulic failure and the pilot had to make a U-turn and radioed air traffic control to declare an emergency landing but was forced to abort landing twice as winds reached 80 mph.
Ambulance crews and police were alerted and firefighters from six stations raced to the scene while the runway was cleared. The jet made a successful landing on its third attempt.
"The plane was being buffeted and couldn’t make it," said Philip Thomson, an eyewitness. "The aircraft's nose was far too vertical. The plane was descending and was halfway along the runway when it gave up trying to hit the tarmac. It soared back in the air."
Thomson recalled how the wind only worsened when the aircraft attempted a second landing.
"The airport’s windsock was horizontal and the aircraft was being rocked from side to side by the wind," he said. "The pilot made a valiant attempt to get down with the jet 'crabbing' into the storm. But it didn't make it and had to head back upwards. It was only at the third attempt to land that the plane got down. The pilot made a flatter approach and the wind had dropped slightly. Everyone watching was mightily relieved."
A source speaking with The Sun said John, who was heading to New York to perform at Madison Square Garden as part of his global Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, was "shaken" but determined not to cancel his show. He caught a later flight to reach the venue in time to perform.
"It was a white-knuckle ride and Elton was shaken," the source said. "But he put aside any personal anguish to get back on a plane. For Elton, quite literally, the show must go on."
Last month John was forced to postpone concerts at American Airlines Center in Dallas after testing positive for COVID-19.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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