ROOSEVELT, N.Y. -- An engine tail cone popped off a Delta Air Lines jet shortly after takeoff from New York's Kennedy Airport. It plummeted thousands of feet into a Long Island neighborhood before landing harmlessly on someone's lawn.

FAA spokeswoman Arlene Salac said Friday the jet doesn't need the part to fly and passengers weren't in any danger.

Neither the pilots nor people on the ground noticed the mishap when it happened Thursday evening.

The flight continued to its destination. Salac says Delta personnel reported the part missing after the plane landed in Tokyo.

The 20-pound part measured 4-feet long and 3-feet in diameter. A resident spotted it hours later and called police.

Delta says an investigation is under way.