- The team
plane made an emergency landing when their engine failed after hitting a flock of birds. - Jazz players described the scary experience, saying some thought it was "the end."
- Donovan Mitchell, who is afraid of flying, did not join the team for their second flight to Memphis.
On Tuesday, the Utah Jazz made an emergency landing after their charter plane's left engine caught fire and failed.
The plane, a charter from Delta, reportedly hit a flock of birds during take-off. The aircraft turned back around to Salt Lake City and landed without incident, and they took a later flight to Memphis.
On Wednesday, several Jazz players revealed to reporters the panic the team felt and the emotional aftermath.
"It felt like the plane was breaking apart in midair," Jazz guard Mike Conley told reporters, according to ESPN's Tom MacMahon. "For five or 10 minutes, it felt like complete helplessness. We're thankful it wasn't as serious as it could have been, but it was scary."
According to MacMahon, Conley said it felt like an explosion took place on the plane.
Conley added: "For a good 10 or 15 minutes, I think all of us on that flight were questioning if we were going to be here today. That's how serious it was for us. I can't speak for everybody, but I know that guys were trying to text family just in case, you know? It was that kind of situation."
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson said he worried it was "the end."
"It got to that point where we were all on the plane like, 'This might be really the end.' I mean, it was a crazy situation."
FOX 13 reporter Spencer Joseph shared photos of the plane's damage afterward (warning: graphic).
-Spencer Joseph (@SpencerJosephTV) March 30, 2021
According to MacMahon, Mitchell, who has a fear of flying, missed the team's game on Wednesday for "personal reasons." He reportedly did not take the team's second flight to Memphis.
While Jazz head coach Quin Snyder did not say how long Mitchell might be out, he said the team needed to process the event.
"Everybody's impacted in different ways, all very significant," Snyder said. "And it wasn't something that we were going to solve by just talking through everything, but I think it was important to acknowledge what we all went through [Tuesday], and, really, that same feeling of gratitude and appreciation for the fragility that we all live with, sometimes without being aware of it."
Clarkson said, "I understand fully why Don didn't come." He added: "It's just something that we've got to push through and come together and keep going, stay strong, support each other. How much time we've got to take off, or talking to our mental health people or whatever it is, that's a serious situation if you've never been faced with life and death."