THE airliner circled Southern California for hours, crippled by a faulty landing gear, while, inside its cabin, 140 horrified passengers watched their own life-and-death drama unfolding on live television.

A JetBlue airliner from Tampa, Florida, landed safely at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport today after its pilot reported a problem with the wing flaps as the plane prepared to descend, an airline spokeswoman said. No injuries were reported.