[edit] 21 September 2005 (Wednesday)

• JetBlue Airways Flight 292 en route to New York from Burbank, California, experiences nose gear malfunctions shortly after takeoff when the nose wheels rotated 90 degrees to the left. The Airbus A320-232 circles Los Angeles to burn off fuel before landing at Los Angeles Airport without serious incident or injury.(Los Angeles Times)
• Hurricane Rita reaches Category 5 intensity, the third most intense in recorded history. The current path tracks landfall at Galveston, Texas on Saturday. The inbound causeway to the Island has been closed and mandatory evacuation has been ordered. Residents on the Gulf Coast south of Galveston are urged to evacuate. (Houston Chronicle)(NHC)
• At least 50 people die following a series of storms and floods that hit the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh and India; many more are missing, and officials fear for the safety of over a hundred fishermen. (BBC)
• South Thailand insurgency: Two Thai soldiers were taken hostage and subsequently murdered. (CNA)