米べい旅客機りょかくき、急降下きゅうこうかによる緊急着陸きんきゅうちゃくりくで15名めいが搬送はんそう――飛行制御ひこうせいぎょ系統けいとうの不具合ふぐあいをめぐり当局とうきょくが本格ほんかく調査ちょうさへ

At least 15 people, including children, were taken to the hospital after a passenger plane operated by American low-cost airline JetBlue was forced to make an emergency landing at Tampa International Airport in Florida following a sudden drop in altitude.

Regarding this matter, the Federal Aviation Administration FAA has launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

According to JetBlue, on October 30, flight 1230 experienced a sudden and sharp drop in altitude during its journey from Cancun, Mexico to Newark, New Jersey, USA.

At that time, the pilot immediately requested medical assistance and made an emergency landing at Tampa International Airport around 2:00 p.m.

According to data from the aviation information website Flightradar24, around 1:48 p.m., the plane descended about 100 feet approximately 30 meters in about seven seconds, and then continued to descend at a relatively stable rate.

When the plane landed, the rescue team was already on standby and responded quickly.

The FAA announced that the incident may have been caused by the flight control system of the Airbus A320, and that it is conducting a detailed investigation into the flight control system of this model.

According to the audio recording, the pilot reported a problem with the flight control system to the controller at that time, based on information from the air traffic control monitoring site LiveATC.net.

The National Transportation Safety Board NTSB is also aware of this incident, but no official investigation has been conducted at this time.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been a series of aviation-related incidents in the United States, such as mid-air collisions, runway incursions, and accidents caused by turbulence.

It has also been pointed out that the shortage of air traffic controllers due to the partial shutdown of government agencies is a serious problem for aviation safety.

Just before the emergency landing, a strong cold front passed through Florida, bringing gusty winds and light rain, but it is not yet clear whether these weather conditions were the direct cause of the sudden drop in altitude.