A couple of weeks ago, a Delta flight bound for Los Angeles had to make an emergency landing at JFK airport just moments after takeoff. The plane quickly lost its right engine after striking a flock of birds. The incident was big news, bolstered by the unlikely fact that Vice President Joe Biden’s plane also hit a flock of birds as it was landing on the same day.
Amateur video of the event soon made its way to YouTube, as New York Times bestselling author Grant Cardone uploaded a short clip of the event. The video, which Cardone shot with his iPad from a window seat, clearly captures both the sight and sounds of the terrifying event.
Check it out below:
Now, the Federal Aviation Administration has sent Cardone a letter, scolding him for putting out his device and filming the scene during takeoff.
Of course, the FAA demands that electronic devices be turned off during portions of any flight because they could interfere with with any number of the airplane’s critical systems. That’s the message they had for Cardone. Part of the letter reads:
Your failure to comply during a critical phase of flight and an aircraft emergency could have affected the safe outcome of the flight.
They went on to say…
We have given consideration to all of the facts. In lieu of legal enforcement action (a civil penalty), we are issuing this letter which will be made a matter of record for a period of two years, after which, the record will be expunged.
“It’s ridiculous,” says Cardone. “I’ve been on thousands, literally thousands of flights. I’ve flown over 3 million miles – a million of those miles with Delta. And to think that a device, a telephone, or this iPad can take down a plane – to think that…is ridiculous.”
He also went after the FAA with this funny little jab on Twitter:
@GrantCardone
Grant Cardone#FAA new ruling-Masturbation can crash planes and cause blindness.
17 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · Reply · Retweet · Favorite · powered by @socialditto
While most airlines ban the use of such devices on flights, the jury is still out on the actual correlation between cellphones and interference. Studies do exist that have asserted a correlation between the two, but causation has been tough (to say the least) to confirm. Some aviation experts have supported the rule, adopting a “better safe than sorry” reasoning.
I guess the lesson here is if you want to catch some exclusive on-flight video of a crazy aviation event, just be ready for the FAA to be a little pissed off about it.