WASHINGTON: An American Airways jet’s engine caught hearth after it diverted to land in Denver on Thursday (Mar 13), forcing the evacuation of passengers utilizing the airplane’s slides, the Federal Aviation Administration stated.
The airline stated all 172 passengers and 6 crew members on board had been in a position to exit the airplane, although six passengers have been taken to an area hospital afterward for additional analysis.
American Airways Flight 1006 from Colorado Springs on a Boeing 737-800 landed in Denver round 5.15pm native time, diverting from its deliberate vacation spot of Dallas after the crew reported engine vibrations, the FAA stated.
A number of dramatic movies of passengers standing on the wing of the airplane earlier than evacuating as smoke poured out the engine have been posted on social media.
American Airways stated the airplane had landed safely and taxied to the gate when it skilled an “engine-related problem”.
The airplane, which is 13 years outdated in keeping with flight monitoring web site FlightRadar24, was geared up with two CFM56 engines manufactured by CFM Worldwide, a three way partnership between GE and Safran.
The FAA stated it could examine the incident. A Denver Worldwide Airport spokesperson stated the hearth had been extinguished and flight operations had continued as regular.
Boeing declined to remark, referring queries to American Airways and investigators. GE didn’t reply instantly to a request for remark.
The engine hearth is the most recent in a collection of high-profile aviation incidents which have raised questions on US aviation security, including the Jan 29 mid-air collision of an American Airways regional jet and an Military helicopter that killed 67 individuals.
Final month, a Delta Air Lines regional jet flipped upside down upon touchdown at Canada’s Toronto Pearson Airport, amid windy climate following a snowstorm, injuring 18 of the 80 individuals on board, although all passengers and crew members survived the incident.
American Airways CEO Robert Isom and Delta CEO Ed Bastian on Tuesday cited latest air crashes and climate occasions as contributing elements to dampening US journey demand, alongside mounting financial uncertainty.