Passengers Forced to Evacuate Plane on Tarmac After Engine Fire

Passengers aboard a Delta flight had quite the scare. On April 21, a plane’s engine caught fire as it was pushing back from the gate at at Orlando International Airport to head to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

Per the FAA, passengers aboard Delta flight 1213 were forced to evacuate the aircraft using slides amid the engine fire.

“There was a fire on the engine,” passenger Kyle Becker told CBS News. “[It] was a little scary…just never had happened to me before. Start thinking, like, OK, what are the next steps. Trying to remain calm.”

Another unnamed passenger told the local CBS affiliate that “It sounded like a large thump.”

“We thought it was probably someone who was putting luggage under the plane or something like that,” the passenger said. “And then we saw an orange flash.”

Indeed, Dylan Wallace, a passenger in the terminal, recorded video of the incident, which CNN obtained. The video showed a large ball of orange flames coming out of the plane’s right engine.

What Happened After the Plane Caught Fire

The airline told the outlet that 282 passengers were aboard the plane when the fire broke out. No one was injured during the fire or the resulting evacuation, the outlet reported.

“Delta flight crews followed procedures to evacuate the passenger cabin when flames in the tailpipe of one of the aircraft’s two engines were observed,” the airline told the outlet in a statement. “We appreciate our customers’ cooperation and apologize for the experience. Nothing is more important than safety and Delta teams will work to get our customers to their final destinations as soon as possible.”

The outlet further reported that Delta planned to get passengers to their final destinations on other aircrafts, while maintenance teams examine the plane on which the fire broke out.