John was en route from England to New York
Elton John’s $89 million private jet suffered a hydraulic failure at 10,000 feet on Monday (Feb 21st). The UK’s The Sun reports that the rocker en route from England to New. York for a show when the incident occurred an hour into the air.
The pilot had to make a U-turn while approaching the coast of southern Ireland. Due to weather conditions, including winds upwards of 80 mph, the twin-jet Bombardier Global Express with John’s signature “E” logo on the door, couldn’t land on the first two attempts at Farnborough Airport, Hants.
“The jet was being buffeted and couldn’t land. It was horrible to see,” a witness shares.
“The terrible weather and epic gusts made it almost impossible to land. Two attempts to touch down failed,” another witness says. “The plane was being buffeted and couldn’t make it. The aircraft’s nose was far too vertical. The plane was descending and was halfway along the runway when it gave up trying to hit the tarmac. It soared back in the air.
“It was only at the third attempt to land that the plane got down. The pilot made a flatter approach and the wind had dropped slightly. Everyone watching was mightily relieved.”
Ambulance crews and police were alerted with firefighters from six stations racing to the scene and clearing the runway.
The rocker caught a later flight and made the six hour trip to perform at Madison Square Garden as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.
“It was a white-knuckle ride and Elton was shaken. But he put aside any personal anguish to get back on a plane. For Elton, quite literally, the show must go on,” another witness expresses.
John has not commented on the matter. Farnborough Airport reps have declined to comment.
The tour has dates scheduled through 2023 with several rescheduled stops to be announced.
John has performed more than 180 shows since the multi-year trek started in in Allentown, PA in September 2018. It’s John’s largest and best production to date, and he’s teamed with Gucci to feature a variety of costumes.
