A Delta plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Atlanta on Wednesday after smoke erupted from its engine midair.
Smoke was reported as billowing out of the plane’s right engine at around 6pm, less than 30 minutes after it took off bound for London.
The Airbus A330 N822NW immediately returned to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport where flames could be seen erupting from the engine.
Passengers took photos of the dramatic scene as thick white smoke rose from the aircraft as fire crews attempted to put out the blaze.
Fire crews rushed to an Atlanta airport runway on Wednesday after a Delta plane burst into flames
Flames and thick smoke were seen erupting from the London -bound aircraft’s right engine as it sat on the tarmac
Passengers at at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport took photos of the dramatic scene as thick white smoke rose from the aircraft as crews attempted to put out the blaze
Officials confirmed crews had responded to a fire on a Delta Airlines jet on Wednesday afternoon. Atlanta Fire Department spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford added that crews were still at the scene.
Michael Key, a passenger aboard the flight, tweeted that he was impressed with the way the airline had handled the emergency.
‘The pilot did good. Delta handled it stride,’ he wrote.
The daughter of one passenger tweeted that her mom had calmly let her know that the flight was going to be delayed because ’emergency crews are currently putting a fire out in the engine apparently.’
‘They are safely on the ground,’ Austen Risolvato added.
There were no reported injuries. It is not yet clear what sparked the blaze.
The plane was towed to the gate where passengers left and boarded another flight.
Delta have released a statement on the incident.
‘Delta flight 30 from Atlanta to London returned to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday after an issue with its number 2 engine,’ they said.
‘The flight landed without incident and airport response vehicles met the aircraft upon arrival. The airplane was towed to the gate, where customers deplaned through the jetway and will be accommodated on a different aircraft. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we apologize to our customers on this flight.’
The engine fire occurred just one day after a midair engine explosion on a Southwest aircraft killed one woman who was almost sucked out of the plane at 32,000ft.
The engine fire occurred just one day after a midair engine explosion on a Southwest aircraft killed one woman who was almost sucked out of the plane at 32,000ft
The Southwest explosion sent a piece of shrapnel hurling into her window, almost sucking the woman outside