The aircraft was carrying 101 people including crew members. The fire was centered near the plane’s left engine. The Federal Aviation Administration said flights in and out of the Fort Lauderdale airport were suspended following the incident. There were 88 adults, 2 children and 11 crew on the plane. Emergency officials responded in two minutes, and the plane was evacuated within six minutes, Broward County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Mike Jachles said.
Advertisement
The National Transportation Safety Board says it hasn’t yet made a decision on whether to launch an investigation into a commercial airplane fire at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood global Airport in Florida.
“Engine is on fire”.
For Venezuelans hoping to travel overseas, the options have been severely reduced to little-known carriers such as Dynamic or domestic carriers, which due to the country’s economic crisis, have struggled to import replacement parts.
Passengers described the incidence as a real scare as the engine exploded. He said he had been sitting near the front of the plane as the pilot put the thrust on to taxi up the runway. “There is fluid leaking out of the left engine”.
The USA agency also said the plane had experienced a fuel leak before takeoff.
Passengers and crew raced to evacuate.
Airport spokesman Allan Siegel said the airport had been shut down Thursday afternoon, according to the Herald.
All of the passengers were evacuated around 12:30 p.m. and the airport halted operations for hours, but has since reopened. “Had this happened later in the day it would have had more of an impact”.
Television images showed the Dynamic global Airways’ Boeing 767-200ER surrounded by white foam and firefighters’ trucks at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood worldwide Airport, its inflatable evacuation chutes deployed.
Advertisement
According to a schedule posted on its website, the airline serves Caracas and Maracaibo in Venezuela and Georgetown, Guyana from New York JFK and FLL.
