Nine French fighter jets and a radar plane had to make an emergency landing at Atlantic City International Airport on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
After an overnight here, the jets are poised for take off and are expected to return to their aircraft carrier off the Virginia Coast this afternoon.
The planes received permission to land after air traffic controllers in the airport's control tower received a distress call from one of the jets about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
The aircraft began landing in 30-second intervals on one of the airport's main runways at about 3:49 p.m., according to Carl Winter, a spokesman for the South Jersey Transportation Authority, which oversees airport operations.
They taxied to a nearby Federal Aviation Administration ramp, where the planes parked overnight. The crew attempted to straighten out problems with refueling the jets for their return to the French aircraft carrier de Gaulle, Winter said.
The aircraft had been engaged in training exercises off the coast of New York and New Jersey Thursday afternoon when severe weather conditions along the Virginia coast prevented them from returning to that area. Low on fuel, the pilots originally asked permission to land at a U.S. military installation, but were denied clearance, according to a State Department spokesman.
One of the jets had been experiencing mechanical problems during the training mission, according to Holly Baker, an Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman.
Baker said two of the pilots stayed with the airplanes overnight, while the rest spent the night at a nearby motel.
