Two Doors Fall Off AirTrain At JFK

Ben Muessig

Published Nov 28, 2009

Modified Nov 28, 2009

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Ben Muessig

Published Nov 28, 2009

Modified Nov 28, 2009

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Here's why you shouldn't lean on train doors. Two doors on a JFK Airport AirTrain fell off the shuttle — which had just undergone maintenance work — as it picked up its first load of passengers yesterday, according to the Post.

As the two-car train pulled into the Lefferts Boulevard stop at 3:30 am, one door fell off its hinges onto the tracks, while the other became "embedded into the concrete platform like a knife into a birthday cake." When the incident occurred, no one was aboard the AirTrain, which has no conductor or motorman, and the shuttle completed its route without passengers and was taken out of service. Insiders told the paper the doors may not have been attached properly and that "all indications are that there was a problem in the maintenance yard." An airport source said the incident was "very troubling," but could have been worse. "[Had] it happened when the train was crowded, people would have fallen out — and they'd now be dead."

Tagged

airport

airtrain

JFK

Ben Muessig

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE news

Mamdani extends NYC racial equity leader's term after Council pushes back on replacement

Linda Tigani, the current chair of the Commission on Racial Equity, is expected to stay on in the role through July 2027.

Elizabeth Kim

Published Oct 28, 2026 at 4:31 p.m. ET

Woman charged with federal hate crimes after allegedly stabbing 2 Jewish men in NYC

Anna Mochalova is accused of using a needle-like object to stab two men near the Diamond District earlier this month.

Giulia Heyward

News

Woman charged with federal hate crimes after allegedly stabbing 2 Jewish men in NYC

Anna Mochalova is accused of using a needle-like object to stab two men near the Diamond District earlier this month.

Giulia Heyward

Ex-NYPD sergeant sentenced to 4-12 years in deadly drunken Taconic crash

Charles Lane

After being booed at integration forum, NYC chancellor praised by school parent leaders

Jessica Gould

Lithium-ion battery caused Bronx fire that killed 11-year-old, FDNY says

Catalina Gonella

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .