A British Airways jet caught fire as it was preparing to take off from Las Vegas, prompting the crew to abort takeoff and evacuate terrified passengers. Passengers escaped using emergency slides.
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Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the left engine of the twin-engine plane caught fire.
People watching the scene from inside Las Vegas’s McCarran worldwide Airport were horrified. Fire officials told the news agency that 14 people suffered minor injuries from sliding down the chutes after the fire broke out shortly aftery after 4 p.m. Pacific time. Jon Klassen, the hearth deputy hearth chief at Clark County, which incorporates the airport, stated that the reason for the hearth continues to be unknown however the smoke doesn’t seem to have breached the cabin.
It went on: ” We are continuing to care for the 157 customers who were on board BA2276 from Las Vegas to London Gatwick and will be organising alternative flights for them.
The plane had two GE90 engines made by GE Aviation, and the company said heat distress was evident on the left side’s engine and fuselage.
She didn’t answer questions about the fire but said “safety is always our priority”, adding that the carrier would provide passengers with hotel rooms. “‘Off plane now.'” She said “people were pushing and shoving and screaming”.
The pilot brought the plane to an emergency stop after flames engulfed the engine.
Those aboard safely fled down emergency slides and across the tarmac as flames leaped from the British Airways Boeing 777-200 and dark black smoke billowed. “There was a pilot in the lobby when I checked in and he said ‘Well, think about it this way: the chances of you ever having plane trouble again are one in a billion.'” said Dunn.
General Electric, maker of the GE90, said it was sending technical representatives to assist an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, but insisted its engine was safe. CCFD said the aircraft was traveling at 100 miles per hour before brakes were applied just as flames were spotted.
Las Vegas’ airport is the ninth-busiest in the United States and had almost 43 million passengers a year ago.
She said she was “very shocked” by what had happened and added: “I’m glad that no one’s hurt and everything is going to be fine”.
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Airport firefighters reached the plane about two minutes after the flames were reported and had extinguished the fire just a few minutes later.
