15 hurt in hard landing at airport in Sacramento

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A JetBlue airplane blew its tires Thursday while landing in Sacramento, causing minor injuries to 15 passengers and sending dozens of others down emergency slides to evacuate the aircraft, airport officials said.

A person waiting inside the terminal said he heard an announcement on an intercom that the wheels had caught fire during the landing.

Rob Vanatta, 32, was waiting for the flight when it was announced that it was delayed.

"Then they came back on the intercom, sounding surprised or in shock, and said I'm not sure how to tell you this, but the wheels caught fire upon landing and the emergency slides had been deployed," Vanatta said.

The Airbus A320 landed just before 1 p.m. after a flight from Long Beach and blew two tires when it touched down, airport spokeswoman Gina Swankie said.

The plane appeared to experience trouble with its brakes, the airline said in a statement.

The 86 passengers were removed from the plane by inflatable slides then taken to the terminal by buses, Swankie said.

Vanatta said he ran to the window to see what happened and saw passengers standing on the runway near the plane, surrounded by firetrucks.

"My friend and I were able to rebook to a flight out of Oakland, so we're driving there now," he said by phone.