A Nebraska-bound private jet carrying seven people landed safely at Westchester County Airport this afternoon after experiencing engine trouble.
The pilot of the Learjet 55 aircraft reported a problem with one of the plane's two engines at 3:10 p.m.—about 10 minutes after taking off from the county airport, said Westchester County Police spokesperson Kieran O'Leary.
After deciding to shut down the troubled engine, the pilot was directed to burn off fuel over Stewart Airport in Newburgh before returning to Westchester for landing, officials say.
"He was very approximate to an airport if it became necessary to bring it down," O'Leary said, adding that burning off fuel is a common practice whenever possible before landing an aircraft fueled for a longer flight.
Firefighters from Purchase, Armonk and Port Chester, Westchester County Police, Westchester County Department of Emergency Sevices and EMS crews were waiting along the runway as a precaution.
The jet landed safely at 4:02 p.m.
Operations at the airport continued through the landing and are currently normal, according to county officials.
The plane, which O'Leary said was designed to land with only one engine, had no further problems during its return to the airport. The seven people on board, five passengers and two crewmembers, weren't injured.
O'Leary said other planes have returned to the runway after experiencing minor problems during takeoff at the county airport this year. In April, a commercial jet carrying 54 passengers from Westchester County Airport after striking a bird.
"It's not that it happens a lot, but I wouldn't call it an unusual incident," he said.
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