JetBlue flight described as a ‘vomitorium’ after hydraulic failure

The lurching, extended flight of a Jetblue Airbus A320 from Las Vegas to New York was described as a "vomitorium" by high-profile passenger Sarah Elizabeth Cupp.

The flight, with 135 passengers aboard, reported hydraulic failure shortly after takeoff from McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, according to Australia's Fairfax media.

It reportedly then had to circle the airport for around four hours until it had burned enough to land safely, all the while lurching from side to side and going into steep turns.

One of the pilots declared an emergency and radioed Las Vegas controllers that they were dealing with "quite a few things, but the initial thing is … we've lost two hydraulic systems," the New York Post reported.

Mizer said the crew did everything it could to prevent panic, with one flight attendant walking down the aisle saying: "Look at me — I’m smiling. If I was scared, you would know it. If I’m not scared, you don’t need to be."

However John Ware, another passenger, recalled the pilot screaming during the landing, "Brace, brace, brace!" Fox News reported. 

"I've never had that kind of hydroplaning feel," passenger Tom Mizer told ABC News. "Everybody on the plane started to get really nervous. People were starting to throw up. I don't think I've ever had that kind of sustained tension and fear in my life."

Conservative political commentator Sarah Elizabeth Cupp described the experience as "the airplane ride from Hell" on Twitter.

"Well, after flying for five hours, I've just landed in Vegas. Where I started. Emergency landing after losing hydraulics. The plane turned into a vomitorium. For five hours. And, after all that, I'm still in Vegas," she wrote.

"If I didn't have to get home, I would never fly again."

ABC reported that the Federal Aviation Administration had launched an investigation into the incident.

JetBlue reportedly said in a statement: "JetBlue takes all incidences seriously, and the safety of our customers and crew members is our No. 1 priority. The actions the crew took in response to this event truly represent who we are and our core value — safety."

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