An American Airways flight diverted to Denver Worldwide Airport on Thursday caught hearth whereas taxiing to the gate, prompting the fast deployment of evacuation slides and leading to 12 passengers being transported to hospitals with minor accidents.
In keeping with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Flight 1006, which was en route from Colorado Springs Airport to Dallas Fort Value, diverted to Denver and landed safely at roughly 5:15 p.m. after the flight crew reported engine vibrations. Whereas taxiing to its assigned gate, an engine on the Boeing 737-800 reportedly ignited, inflicting a blaze that enveloped elements of the plane.
Eyewitnesses captured pictures and movies exhibiting passengers standing on the wing of the airplane as thick smoke surrounded it. The FAA confirmed that emergency slides had been deployed to facilitate a swift evacuation of the 172 passengers and 6 crew members on board. American Airways later issued a press release acknowledging that the flight skilled an engine-related challenge after taxiing to the gate, although particulars on the exact timing of the fireplace stay unclear.
“We thank our crew members, DEN workforce and first responders for his or her fast and decisive motion with the protection of everybody on board and on the bottom because the precedence,” the airline said, commending the coordinated response that ensured all passengers had been safely dropped at the terminal. Firefighters had been in a position to extinguish the blaze by the night.
The FAA has launched an investigation into the incident. This occasion comes amid a collection of latest aviation incidents which have raised public concern, together with a airplane that crashed and flipped over upon touchdown in Toronto and a Japan Airways plane that clipped a parked Delta airplane whereas taxiing at Seattle airport. Regardless of these shut calls, consultants preserve that air journey stays one of many most secure modes of transportation.
Passengers and airline officers alike are actually awaiting additional particulars from the continuing investigation, as authorities work to find out the reason for the engine vibrations and subsequent hearth.
