JetBlue Plane That Abruptly Lost Altitude and Made Emergency Landing Was Likely Hit by Cosmic Ray: Expert

A JetBlue Airbus A320 that abruptly lost altitude in late October may have been struck by a high-energy cosmic ray — according to an expert pushing a surprising, science-fiction-like explanation for the emergency landing.

On Oct. 30, the aircraft was en route from Cancún, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, when it “experienced a flight control issue,” according to the Associated Press. The plane rapidly descended and was forced to divert, making an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida.

At least 15 passengers were taken to hospitals after the incident, with injuries described as non-life-threatening.

Initial investigations flagged a possible software or control system glitch. That prompted a global response: several versions of the affected aircraft family were grounded for software updates, as reported by the New York Post.

But a new theory presented to Space.com challenges the solar radiation explanation and points instead to cosmic radiation.

According to Clive Dyer, a space and radiation expert at the University of Surrey, cosmic rays “can interact with modern microelectronics and change the state of a circuit.”

He elaborated: “They can cause a simple bit flip, like a 0 to 1 or 1 to 0. They can mess up information and make things go wrong. But they can cause hardware failures too, when they induce a current in an electronic device and burn it out.”

Dyer’s concern is that modern airliners rely heavily on integrated flight control computers. A lone “single-event upset” — as the phenomenon is known — could scramble vital systems at 35,000 feet.

Space.com noted that solar activity on the day of the incident appeared “unremarkable,” with Dyer casting additional doubt on the Airbus hypothesis that a solar flare or related phenomenon triggered the malfunction.

If true, the cosmic ray explanation would mark a rare but serious vulnerability in commercial aviation — one that lies outside typical maintenance or weather-related risk models.

Still, the theory remains speculative. Industry officials and regulators point out that proving a specific cosmic ray strike caused a given malfunction is extremely difficult, given the lack of recording sensors and multiple other variables.

Critics caution against drawing conclusions before full investigations are complete. They argue that electronic malfunctions, software bugs, or environmental factors remain plausible explanations.

Even so, Dyer believes the event should prompt deeper scrutiny of aircraft electronics.

He argues that manufacturers need “to produce hardy electronics, especially in safety-critical units,” to guard against rare but potentially catastrophic cosmic radiation effects.

For passengers, the revelation is unsettling: it suggests that dangers don’t just come from weather or mechanical failure — but from invisible particles from millions of lightyears away.

For regulators and airlines, it may mean rethinking standards for electronic shielding and redundancy on aircraft — especially for planes whose systems were designed decades ago.

Until investigators release a final report, the cosmic ray hypothesis will remain one of several competing explanations.

What is clear: the incident has reopened serious questions about the hidden risks of modern air travel.

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