On Wednesday night, the Jazz beat the Grizzlies in Memphis in a hard fought game that Utah was able to gut out despite the absence of their star guard Donovan Mitchell. However, getting to Memphis proved more difficult than any game, as their plane struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff, causing an engine failure that forced the plane to return to Salt Lake City for an emergency landing.
No one on board was injured as the plane was, happily, able to make it back safely and with no issues, but the situation certainly shook those on board. Mitchell’s absence was listed as “personal reasons” and was announced after the plane incident, and after the game on Wednesday Jordan Clarkson noted that he was more than understanding of why Mitchell didn’t want to make the trip after such a scare.
Jordan Clarkson: "It was one of those flights, like, you were sending out texts, like, this might be the end. I understand fully why Don didn’t come."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) April 1, 2021
Clarkson also went into more detail of what he saw from inside the plane, saying he heard a loud bang and people in the back saw flames coming out of the engine, with many thinking they were going to die in a plane crash — and also shouting out the pilot for getting them down safe and keeping calm under such a situation.
Jordan Clarkson: "I heard a loud bang. … I turn and look out the window and see the whole engine shaking. … A lot of people sitting in the back saw some flames. … At least 30 seconds of that flight, everyone thought, ‘It might be over for us.’"
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) April 1, 2021
Jordan Clarkson: "It was like one of those flights where you're sending out texts like you've seen on the movies when a plane is about the crash. It got to that point where we all on the plane were like, 'This might be really the end.'"
— Ryan Miller (@millerjryan) April 1, 2021
Jordan Clarkson was thinking, "Just please put this plane on the ground and let us land this." He said once the flight crew diagnosed the exact issue, they were very reassuring: "The pilot was super-calm. Shout-out to him for getting us down safe."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) April 1, 2021
Mike Conley offered similar thoughts on what he saw, and it’s clear the situation is one no one on that plane will forget.
Mike Conley: "Sounded like there was an explosion. Plane started to bounce and tilt to the left. People in the back said they saw flames. … Altitude started to drop a bit. … Nobody knew what happened, we were in shock. … It felt like the plane was breaking apart in midair."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) April 1, 2021
Thankfully, nothing awful happened and they were able to land, and hopefully all involved will be able to shake off what was clearly a harrowing experience, given the amount of plane travel NBA players have to deal with.
