THIS is the heart-stopping moment a Delta plane, packed with almost 300 passengers, catches fire as it pulls away from the gate.
Frantic footage from inside the Airbus A330 shows fire and smoke engulfing a part of the jet on a runway in Orlando.
The incident unfolded at Orlando International Airport in Florida at around 11 am ET on Monday.
A terrified passenger on the plane filmed the fire and flames coming from the Airbus plane.
Another person shared on social media a video of passengers frantically exiting the plane via a slide.
The Delta plane was pushing back from the gate to depart to Atlanta when an engine caught fire, the Federal Aviation Administration told The US Sun.
Rescue crews rushed over and inflated emergency slides to help 282 passengers escape.
Ten flight attendants and two pilots were also on board when the fire broke out.
In a statement, Delta said the fire started in the tailpipe of one of the plane’s two engines.
A Delta Air Lines official told The US Sun the passengers returned to the airport terminal and were given food and beverages.
Maintenance crews will examine the plane, the official added.
Delta shared its regrets over the emergency and reassured passengers that safety is its top priority.
“We appreciate our customers’ cooperation and apologize for the experience,” Delta wrote.
“Nothing is more important than safety and Delta teams will work to get our customers to their final destinations as soon as possible.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Delta plane catches fire on runway in Orlando with flames seen engulfing aircraft as passengers rush to escape blaze” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6371757574112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Orlando International Airport said on Monday: “Today at approximately 11:06 am, Delta Air Lines flight 1213 experienced an engine fire while at the ramp area, prior to departure.
“Passengers were evacuated. Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting team promptly responded.”
The FAA said it will investigate the engine fire.
Their were no reports of any injuries.
SECOND DELTA CRASH
The fire comes as travelers are already on edge following a series of plane crashes and mishaps over the past few months.
A different Delta plane flipped and burst into flames in a crash landing in Toronto in February.
Passengers coming from Minneapolis were left hanging upside down after the plane landed on its roof on the runway.
They were forced to crawl along the ceiling of the plane cabin to escape the wreckage.
Over two dozen travelers were treated for injuries, officials said.
Two passengers were flown to trauma centers and a child was taken to the hospital.
Delta said in a statement to The US 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 DC, killing 67 people.
This grew after several additional plane crashes in the weeks that followed.
Earlier this month, six people died when a private plane crashed in Copake, New York – just 10 miles from the airport where it was set to land.
A family 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 dead.
On Saturday, four people died when 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.
[boxout headline=”US on edge over ‘cluster’ of plane crashes” intro=”A series of devastating plane crashes, including the mid-air collision above DC that killed 67, has left Americans terrified of traveling by air. “]However, aviation expert and attorney Jason Matzus told The U.S. Sun the crashes can be attributed to “random clustering.”
“While these events are tragic, the likely explanation is simply ‘random clustering,’ which occurs when multiple crashes occur over a short period, warping our general perception and causing us to think that there is an increasing trend in plane crashes,” Matzus said.
“When in reality these crashes, despite being so close together, are merely coincidental and not caused by a systemic safety issue.”
The short period Matzus referred to was just a matter of three weeks. The aviation mishaps included:
January 29 – A military helicopter and American Airlines plane collided at the Washington DC airport, killing 67 people
January 31 – An air ambulance carrying a 6-year-old girl and her mom crashed on a street in Philadelphia, killing seven people in total
February 5 – A Japan Airlines flight hit a parked Delta plane at Seattle SeaTac Airport and no one was injured
February 6 – A small commuter plane on its way to Nome, Alaska, crashed killing all 10 people on board
February 10 – Motley Crue singer Vince Neil’s private jet collided with another plane, killing the pilot and injuring four others
February 17 – A Delta plane crashed on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport, miraculously killing no one but injuring 21
February 19 – Two planes collided at Marana Airport in Arizona, killing two people
February 24 – Smoke filled a Delta Airlines flight cabin forcing passengers to evacuate by a slide after making an emergency landing in Atlanta
March 9 – A Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft crashed into a retirement village parking lot in Manheim, Pennsylvania
March 13 – An American Airlines jet engine erupted into flames at the Denver airport, forcing passengers to escape onto the plane’s wing