A jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, after losing part of its wing mid-air.
The Cessna Citation is seen landing safely at Tampa International Airport without the left tip of its wing in the video posted by WFLA on Thursday.
The jet was reportedly flying from Arkansas when it lost part of its wing around St. Petersburg, WFLA reported. The pilot was the only person on board at the time. (RELATED: ‘Engine Problems’: Commercial Plane En Route To New York Goes Ablaze Mid-Flight)
Jet forced to make emergency landing at Tampa airport after losing part of wing in air https://t.co/QD33GzDdjX pic.twitter.com/e0wVq4RaLJ
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) March 31, 2023
The jet lost its winglet, which is attached to the end of the wing to “cause the flow across the wing to be more two-dimensional,” according to NASA. This provides for more fuel efficiency and less drag.
A Southwest Airlines flight from Cuba to Florida was forced to make an emergency landing March 5 after the cabin filled with smoke. A flock of birds reportedly hit the nose of the jet and one of its engines. Passengers were forced to leave the plane using emergency slides once it landed in Cuba.
“At approximately 6:30 p.m. yesterday, a Cessna Citation that had departed from Arkansas and was near St. Petersburg at 27,000 feet when the pilot lost the left winglet and part of the wing,” Tampa International Airport told the Daily Caller in a statement. “Only the pilot was on board and he landed safely at TPA.”