Archive · 6 Dec 2025
Supernova Cosmic Rays Hit JetBlue Plane
A plane flying from Mexico to New Jersey suddenly lost altitude because it was hit by tiny, super-fast particles from a star explosion that happened millions of years ago.
These particles, called cosmic rays, can mess up the plane's computers and cause problems.
The plane had to land quickly, and some passengers got hurt.
Experts think this happened because of a big burst of energy from space, even though no one saw a huge solar flare at the time.
The plane company fixed the problem by updating the plane's software.
A JetBlue Airbus A320 lost altitude suddenly on October 30 due to a cosmic ray hit.
The plane made an emergency landing in Tampa, with at least 15 passengers injured.
Expert Clive Dyer suggested the incident was caused by a supernova's high-energy particles.
Airbus grounded 6,000 planes and updated software to fix the issue.
No powerful solar flares were recorded during the incident.
- Who
- Passengers and crew of JetBlue Airbus A320
- What
- A supernova cosmic ray hit the plane, causing a sudden loss of altitude
- When
- October 30
- Where
- Over Florida, en route from Cancun to Newark
- Why
- High-energy particles from a distant supernova interacted with the aircraft's electronics
- Date of Incident
- October 30
- Aircraft Model
- JetBlue Airbus A320
- Route
- Cancun, Mexico to Newark, New Jersey
- Emergency Landing Location
- Tampa International Airport
- Injured Passengers
- At least 15
- Expert Consulted
- Clive Dyer, University of Surrey
- Airbus Response
- Grounded 6,000 planes, updated software
