Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell will travel during road trips despite a fear of flying after the All-Star guard missed Wednesday's game in Memphis following the team charter's emergency landing.

The club's flight to Memphis on Tuesday was cut short after takeoff when the plane struck a flock of birds, causing an engine fire and failure. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City.

Mitchell, who has expressed a fear of flying previously, didn't join Jazz players and staff for the flight that took off hours later. Utah's next road game is Monday in Dallas, and Mitchell says he'll be there.

"I know I have a job to do," Mitchel said during Friday's media availability, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "I understand that (flying) comes with the job.

"I took the time that I needed to kind of just mentally get myself in a good place. I'll be fine come Sunday when we fly out, but I just needed that time mentally."

"Some things are just bigger than the game of basketball, and that right there was it for me. Everybody kind of has their different things. Mine happens to be (a fear of) flying," Mitchell added.

Jordan Clarkson and Mike Conley were among the Jazz players to recount the moments after the plane collided with the birds, with Conley describing a feeling of "complete helplessness" as the left engine on the Delta flight caught fire.

Mitchell said he heard a "loud boom," and that he "immediately got scared as shit because I hate flying in general and it didn't sound good."

"There was a point where you just felt like this could be it - and the fact that it's out of your control," the fourth-year shooting guard continued. "You're kind of just watching it all go down, and you really don't know what's going to happen next.

"Telling everybody that you love them, and you don't know if it's the last time that you're going to be able to say that, really puts life and everything into perspective for you."

Winners of seven straight, the Western Conference-leading Jazz host the Chicago Bulls on Friday evening before traveling to Dallas for Monday's meeting with the Mavericks.