A passenger who was aboard the flight and did not wish to be identified while still in transit\u00a0<\/strong>told NPR that there was a very loud sound coming from the plane, which made it difficult to hear announcements coming from the cockpit.<\/p>\n The passenger\u00a0<\/strong>told NPR they felt “overwhelmed” and “really scared” by the experience.<\/p>\n A Delta flight was forced to return to its departure airport.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n FlightAware<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n According to imaging from FlightAware, the aircraft circled the tristate area before returning to JFK.<\/p>\n “As nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, Delta flight crews enacted their extensive training and followed procedures to return to JFK,” Delta said in its initial statement to NPR. The airline said the flight crew declared an emergency with air traffic control to receive clearance to return to JFK. The aircraft then landed safely and proceeded to a gate under its own power, it said.<\/p>\n Delta told NPR that there were no pressurization issues on the aircraft. It said the plane has been removed from service and will be thoroughly evaluated.<\/p>\n “We will defer to Delta for comment,” a Boeing spokesperson said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2024\/04\/26\/screenshot-2024-04-26-at-10.23.34-am-4f65c48bdabcfee9461b5bf41a1c21a97116aaea-s400-c85.webp)
<\/picture>\nAn aircraft is generally operable for an average of 30 years before being decommissioned, according to <\/span>Flexport<\/a>, a global logistics workflow company. The aircraft involved in Friday’s incident is around 34 years old, and its expiration date was previously May 2028, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n