Utah Jazz plane scare: Jordan Clarkson recalls terrifying moment for the squad

Earlier this week, an Utah Jazz flight was forced to make an emergency landing. The plane ran into birds and had to return to the airport minutes after takeoff. While everyone was safe, players were said to be shaken up after the incident. Later, Jazz star Jordan Clarkson opened up about the Utah Jazz plane scare. 

Utah Jazz plane scare: Jordan Clarkson on the plane's emergency landing

As per the Jazz flight reports, the players had ended up wondering if this flight might be the end. After the team's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Clarkson spoke to the reporters, opening up about the incident. "(It) got to that point where we were all on the plane like, 'This might be really the end'".

He added that the pilots were calm on the intercom, telling the players what happened. "Saying we lost an engine. (That) we were going to be able to land somewhere". He explained the players were looking outside the window, thinking that they just wanted the plane to be landed anywhere, vowing to check everything later as long as they land safely. 

"For a good 10-15 minutes, I think all of us on that flight were questioning (whether we would be here Wednesday). That's how serious it was for us," Mike Conley said, adding that everyone was trying to reach out to family members. The plane had an engine failure and fire after hitting a group of birds, forcing the plane to go back. 

The Utah Jazz plane had to be re-routed after hitting some birds during takeoff. Everybody is ok. 😲

(📸: @brian_schnee) pic.twitter.com/U4ZPuwd5Rj

— theScore (@theScore)

"Fortunately the plane landed safely," a Jazz representative said while speaking to USA Today. Later, Delta also provided a statement. They confirmed the incident but had not confirmed that it was a Jazz charter flight, arranging another plane for the team. 

GOD is good 🙏🏾🙏🏾

— Royce O'Neale (@BucketsONeale00)

It’s a beautiful day!

— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27)

🙏🏾

— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell)

🙏🏽

— Jordan Clarkson (@JordanClarksons)

Jazz players, who were said to be shaken up after the whole process, reached out via social media to react to the incident. "It’s a beautiful day!" Rudy Gobert wrote. Stars like Donovan Mitchell and Clarkson simply replied with a praying emoji. 

NBA scores: Jazz vs Grizzlies highlights

Their plane scare did not stop the Jazz from bagging their seventh straight win. Mike Conley scored 26 points, 13 of which came from a stellar fourth quarter. Clarkson added 24 points in the team's 111-107 win. Bojan Bogdanovic has 23 points. 

The Memphis Grizzlies had Kyle Anderson score 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Dillon Brooks scored 17 points. Jonas Valanciunas finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell missed the game due to personal reasons. "I think our team showed a lot of grit," Utah head coach Quin Snyder said. "Mike Conley was terrific. Controlling the game, finding people. ... In the end, we got a couple of stops when we needed to". 

NBA standings latest

The Utah Jazz, currently, continue to lead the league with their 36-11 record. The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers follow in the West. The Brooklyn Nets have gained the top seed in the East, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers. 

(Image credits: Jordan Clarkson Instagram)