Firefighters from several stations around Rushmoor in Hampshire county in England rushed to Farnborough Airport on Monday after Elton John's private jet reportedly suffered a hydraulic failure and was attempting to make an emergency landing amid Storm Franklin.
Yet a day later the six-time Grammy Award-winner could be seen performing live at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road world tour, which is meant to be the final tour of his career. It began in Pennsylvania in 2018, but has been beset by delays, including postponements owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
John was leaving the UK for the US when the incident occurred at an altitude of 10,000 feet, The Sun reports. According to the newspaper, the ordeal began shortly after John's £66 million ($90m) jet left the airport at 10.20am. About an hour into the trip, the aircraft suffered hydraulic failure and the pilot had to make a U-turn while approaching the coast of southern Ireland.
The pilot headed back to Farnborough and radioed air traffic control to declare an emergency landing. Ambulance crews and police were alerted at 11.19am, as firefighters raced to the scene and the runway was cleared.
But as Storm Franklin's fierce winds continued to batter parts of the UK, the pilot soon struggled to land the twin-jet Bombardier Global Express.
On Monday, Rushmoor Fire Station tweeted images of firefighter trucks as they headed to the airport.
"Multiple resources from Rushmoor and surrounding stations sent to Farnborough airfield earlier for a plane suffering hydraulic troubles. The plane ended up landing safely and all fire appliances, police and ambulance crews were stood down," it posted.
UK flights disrupted amid Storm Franklin
Millions of travellers across the UK have faced disruption to their plans after Storm Franklin hit the country. Flights have been cancelled and delayed and one train operator has issued a “do not travel” warning over the risk of flooding to tracks, while hundreds of homes have been evacuated.
The Met Office issued an amber warning for winds, which could cause a “risk to life”, in Northern Ireland until 7am on Monday, while a milder yellow wind warning covers England, Wales and south-western Scotland from noon until 1pm.
Following the on-air drama, John tweeted: "Hello New York! See you @TheGarden tonight."
On January 19, the tour's rescheduled North American leg finally began in New Orleans, Louisiana, after a two-year delay. But John was again forced to postpone two concerts in Dallas, Texas after he contracted Covid-19 on January 22.
John had also previously said he was postponing European dates on his world tour until 2023 so that he can have an operation on an injured hip. The US tour is scheduled to make stops in Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, New York and Miami.
On Tuesday night, John made it to the Madison Square Garden and performed for thousands of fans. He is set to play the famed venue again on Wednesday.
Scroll through the photo gallery below to see Elton John's style evolution over the years:
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
MATCH INFO
England 2
Cahill (3'), Kane (39')
Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')