Just after that, the situation took an abrupt, bizarre turn.
The back of each seat on a JetBlue plane is equipped with a small television set. As passengers watched, live, in-flight broadcasts of MSNBC and Fox News began to show their airplane. Ash glanced at the television of the passenger next to him: "At first I just thought, 'Of course, Fox News,' " he said, discounting the story as sensationalized. "But then it was on MSNBC."
People started to worry. "It was so eerie watching ourselves," Ash said. "It was unimaginable…. We heard people speculating about this and that. It was so odd."
Somehow, being on the TV news "made it a big deal."
Passengers reacted with a range of emotions — some quietly upset and concerned, but most very calm. A few began laughing. Ash joined them. Once he saw the humor of it, the sense wouldn't leave him: "It was just such an absurd situation," he said.
But his humor faded as he listened to television commentators talking about the flight.
"One guy was saying, 'You know, I'm just speculating, but the landing gear will break off, and the nose will drive into the pavement,' and this and that."
It went on like that, one expert after another saying the noise would be horrific, that it would be awful.
