TRAVELERS were forced to evacuate a Delta flight after it caught fire moments before taking off.
The jet was set to leave Orlando for Atlanta at around 11 am ET on Monday when flames and billows of black smoke started to come out of the engine.
X/@beckerkwA Delta plane has been evacuated after it caught fire moments before taking off[/caption]
X/ Dylan WallaceThe Delta jet was set to leave Orlando for Atlanta at 11 am ET on Monday[/caption]
X/ Dylan WallaceFlames and billows of black smoke were seen coming out of the plane’s engine[/caption]
X/ Dylan WallacePassengers had to evacuate using the jet’s emergency slides[/caption]
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told The U.S. Sun that the Delta flight “was pushing back from the gate for departure at Orlando International Airport around 11:15 a.m. local time on Monday, April 21, when an engine caught fire.”
They said that passengers evacuated the plane using emergency slides.
A Delta Air Lines official told The U.S. Sun that there were 282 passengers, 10 flight attendants and two pilots aboard the plane when flames were seen in the tailpipe of an engine.
The official said the passengers returned to the airport terminal and were given food and beverages.
Maintenance crews will examine the plane, per the official.
Delta Air Lines shared its regrets for the incident and reassured passengers that their safety is its top priority in a public statement shared with The U.S. Sun.
“We appreciate our customers’ cooperation and apologize for the experience,” Delta said.
The airline added: “Nothing is more important than safety and Delta teams will work to get our customers to their final destinations as soon as possible.”
Orlando International Airport also released a statement on social media about the engine fire, saying “Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting team promptly responded.”
The Delta flight has been delayed for at least several hours, causing an inconvenience to passengers during a time when anxieties over flight safety are already at a high.
Meanwhile, the FAA said they will investigate the engine fire.
DELTA TORONTO FLIGHT CRASH
Delta has recently been in the spotlight after a flight flipped before bursting into flames following a crash landing in Toronto in February.
Passengers coming from Minneapolis were forced to crawl along the ceiling of the plane cabin to flee the crash sight.
Over two dozen travelers were treated for injuries, officials said.
Two passengers were airlifted to trauma centers for critical but non-life-threatening injuries.
There was also a child taken to the hospital after the horrific accident.
Delta said in a statement to The U.S. Sun at the time: “Several customers with injuries were transported to area hospitals. Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted.”
DEADLY PLANE CRASHES
Flight anxiety began to soar in late January when a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight over Washington D.C., killing 67 people.
There have been several plane crashes that have made headlines since that tragic accident.
Earlier this month, six people died after a private plane crashed in Copake, New York – just 10 miles from the airport where it was set to land.
A family of top doctors and some of their loved ones were killed on their way to the Catskills for a birthday and Passover celebration.
Dr. Michael Groff, a neuroscientist who owned and piloted the private jet, and his urogynecologist wife Dr. Joy Saini, were among the deceased.
The couple’s daughter, Karena Groff, and her boyfriend James Santoro also died in the crash.
They were both alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Jared Groff, the parents’ paralegal son, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, who was going to attend Harvard Law School this fall, were killed as well.
On Saturday, four people died after a single-engine plane struck power lines and crashed into a road in Trilla, Illinois – about 200 miles south of Chicago.
The crash victims – two men and two women – were from Wisconsin.
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