Just as people had started their new life following the devastation and aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the shores of Puerto Rico was exposed to the fury of Hurricane Irma. (AP)Just as people had started their new life following the devastation and aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the shores of Puerto Rico was exposed to the fury of Hurricane Irma. The hurricane is a category 5 storm and is the worst to hit the shores since 1928. ‘Irma’ left the people of Carribean island displaced and in panic. Many people were stranded on the island as airline companies decided to cancel their flights after warnings were issued. However, one airline decided to carry on its services despite the deadly storm. Yes, Delta flight 431 decided to fly from New York’s JFK airport directly into the path of the hurricane for its destination San Juan and fly back in a very very short time, just hours before the hurricane hit.
Aviation blogger Jason Rabinowitz tracked the plane’s voyage using flightRadar24 and provided live commentary on Twitter, it was a nerve-wracking experience. His tweets gave adrenalin rush to so many people on the microblogging site that it even created a Twitter moment and his handle started trending.
Interestingly, Rabinowitz explained the entire situation using a sports car analogy for people to understand what was about to happen. From landing in the midst of the fierce ‘Irma’ to flying out just in time everything was nail-biting. The air velocity was around 24 knots with gusts up to 31 knots, and condition deteriorating fast it indicated everything that was below safe operating limits for the 737-900ER.
Here is the thread of the plane’s voyage:
A few flights attempted to squeak into @AeropuertoSJU ahead of Hurricane #Irma
Too late. 2x @JetBlue & 1 @AmericanAir flight turning around pic.twitter.com/ssGLh5EFCp
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
A few flights attempted to squeak into @AeropuertoSJU ahead of Hurricane #Irma
Too late. 2x @JetBlue & 1 @AmericanAir flight turning around pic.twitter.com/ssGLh5EFCp
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
For what it’s worth, the current METAR reports winds of just 12 MPH gust to 22, but conditions are rapidly degrading https://t.co/xpY2zMnCib
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
DL431 is going for it.
Latest METAR: 35011G20KT pic.twitter.com/MqNgVPenQ8
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
So, how good is @Delta at dispatching?
The TAF calls for 25 MPH winds gusting to 40
It’s actually 13 gusting to 23 now.
This will work https://t.co/Bw2cszfEEw
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
Aaaaaaaand… Landed! #DL431 #Irma https://t.co/XN6E2TcXUN pic.twitter.com/mrqQsaYpre
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) September 6, 2017
Here they go! DL302 now taxiing for takeoff before #Irma gets really bad. pic.twitter.com/CNfk5L6oaa
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
Takeoff! An absolutely amazing job here by @Delta forecasters, dispatchers, flight and ground crews. Full flight back up to JFK.#Irma pic.twitter.com/sSulqA8g7t
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
Total time on ground for this 737-900ER: 52 minutes
That includes both taxi-in and taxi-out pic.twitter.com/QqwnCeXWRz
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
Now DL302 has to climb out of SJU, and they’re doing so between the outer band of #Irma and the core of the storn. Amazing stuff. pic.twitter.com/lOq9Te5DO6
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
Well, that’s the end of that story. DL302 is reaching the edge of #Irma‘s outer bands.
Guess the flight crew serves lunch now…? pic.twitter.com/IDTV3WuLd5
— Jason Rabinowitz (@AirlineFlyer) September 6, 2017
For it’s flying route, the flight stuck to a gap between the hurricane’s outer rain band and the centre of the storm to find an open sky. It, then, managed to land safely before the scheduled time with 173 passengers on board. The plane managed a tight turnaround, with Delta recording flight 302 (the same aircraft’s return journey) departing San Juan at 12:41pm — just 40 minutes after it landed.