JetBlue flight to NYC hit coyote on takeoff at Rhode Island airport, passenger says: "We heard a thud"

A JetBlue flight returned safely to T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island after hitting a coyote on the runway Tuesday morning.

A passenger on board Flight 1129 to New York's JFK Airport told WPRI-TV "we heard a thud" during takeoff.

"We were up in the air for about 10-15 minutes and then all of a sudden the captain came on and said, 'This is the flight crew. If anybody heard that thud, we hit a coyote,'" said Erin Drozda from Woonsocket.

The Airbus A320 turned around to head back to T.F. Green so maintenance crews could make sure the plane wasn't damaged by the animal.

"We thought it was actually a joke at first. We were like, is that code for something else? What's going on? We didn't know," said Drozda, who missed her connection to Costa Rica as a result of the coyote strike. "We thought it was actually a prank to be honest with you, because I mean you don't ever hear that."

Drozda said the fire department and other first responders met the plane on the runway. She said police and EMS came on board to make sure no one was hurt, and everyone had to get off the plane for a while so crews could do a thorough inspection. 

There were no injuries, and the flight took off for New York later in the morning. A spokesperson for T.F Green said the runway was open and there were no impacts to other flights.

"On Tuesday, March 24 JetBlue flight 1129 with service from Providence (PVD) to New York (JFK) returned to Providence out of an abundance of caution following a report of contact between the aircraft's landing gear and wildlife on the runway while taking off," JetBlue said in a statement. "The flight landed safely and a full inspection was done on the aircraft with no issues reported."