“I’m not afraid of flying at all. My dad was a pilot, but I was really scared,” Courteney Cox, 54, said to Extra when first speaking about the Feb. 15 incident. Courteney, her best “Friend” Jennifer Aniston, 50, and a few friends were flying aboard Jen’s private plane from L.A. to Cabo San Luca, Mexico, when the plane was forced to make an emergency landing. “[W]hen we were taking off, we heard this really loud bang and I was like, ‘Oh, that sounds like we should probably check that tire.’ ”
“There was no tire at all, there was no wheel,” she added. “Luckily, there are two wheels on each side and two in the front. I have to say, we were in the air for four hours, burning off fuel and just thought of what it is going to be like when we land. It was a really smooth landing.” Still, despite having flying in her blood, the trip left Courteney rattled that she had to text her 14-year-old daughter Coco and her boyfriend, Johnny McDaid. “I sent a little text to Coco, ‘I love you,’ I didn’t say why, and to Johnny. I told him everything that was going on and I FaceTimed him after.”
Jen’s plane took off from LAX at 11 AM (local time) but this landing gear malfunction diverted the flight to the Ontario International Airport in Ontario. California. The airport was closed down so the plane could safely land, a source told PEOPLE magazine, adding that the stars would wait for a new plane to arrive. A new plane did arrive shortly afterward, and everyone made it to Cabo in one piece.
It would take more than just a blown wheel to throw Jen off, as a source EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife.com that she had been planning this trip for a while. “Everyone was in good spirits when they finally arrived,” the insider said, adding that everyone was eventually “making light of the…scary situation.”
As for Jen’s 50th birthday, Courteney revealed that she got her Friends co-star and lifelong pal a massive gift – literally. “A bunch of us got her a pottery wheel and lessons, even though she’s a great artist, and a table, a big beautiful antique table.”
Though, the biggest “gift” or gag-worthy moment of Jen’s birthday had to be when her ex, Brad Pitt, showed up at her birthday party. It seems this wasn’t a one-off appearance, as he reportedly showed up to the “Jennifer Aniston’s Used Book Sale” art installation at the lobby of Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.