Dramatic moment small twin-engine jet catches fire

Ten people aboard a small jet which burst into flames following an aborted takeoff at a small Northern California airport all escaped with their lives, officials said.

Dramatic footage captured at the scene shows the jet burning ferociously emitting plumes of black smoke following the potentially deadly incident.

The pilot of the twin-engine Cessna Citation jet aborted its takeoff at Oroville Municipal Airport for unknown reasons shortly before noon, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The plane was carrying two pilots and eight passengers, and ‘all were accounted for, no injuries,’ said Joe Deal, Oroville’s fire and police chief. 

Ten people abroad a small jet which burst into flames following an aborted takeoff at a small Northern California airport all escaped with their lives, officials said. Dramatic footage captured at the scene shows the jet burning ferociously emitting plumes of black smoke

Dramatic footage captured at the scene shows the jet burning ferociously emitting plumes of black smoke following the potentially deadly incident

Dramatic footage captured at the scene shows the jet burning ferociously emitting plumes of black smoke following the potentially deadly incident 

The jet had complications during takeoff that resulted in its catching fire, he said.

It slid off the end of the runway, sparking a fire in the dry grass. Photos and video from witnesses shows the jet’s door open and its landing gear apparently retracted. 

Officials briefly closed nearby Highway 162 before controlling the grass fire at less than two acres.

‘They were out of the plane quickly,’ said Rick Carhart, a spokesman the CalFire/Butte County Fire Department that assisted at the scene. By the time the first fire engine arrived, ‘the people had already gotten off and vacated the area very quickly.’

Carhart said he didn’t know if the jet caught fire before or after it left the runway.

The plane was flying from Oroville to Portland International Airport in Oregon, Gregor said.

An FAA website says the model 560XL jet was manufactured in 2003 and is registered to Jotts LLC, with an address that tracks to a firm based in Wilmington, Delaware, that provides registered agent services to multiple companies. 

Deal said it was a personally chartered jet, and its corporate passengers had stayed overnight in Oroville.

It slid off the end of the runway, sparking a fire in the dry grass. Photos and video from witnesses shows the jet's door open and its landing gear apparently retracted. Officials briefly closed nearby Highway 162 before controlling the grass fire at less than two acres

It slid off the end of the runway, sparking a fire in the dry grass. Photos and video from witnesses shows the jet’s door open and its landing gear apparently retracted. Officials briefly closed nearby Highway 162 before controlling the grass fire at less than two acres

Firefighters were able to quickly control the grass fire, but it took more than an hour to extinguish the jet, partly because it had just taken on 400 gallons of jet fuel, he said. A crash truck from nearby Chico sprayed the jet with foam to help extinguish the blaze

Firefighters were able to quickly control the grass fire, but it took more than an hour to extinguish the jet, partly because it had just taken on 400 gallons of jet fuel, he said. A crash truck from nearby Chico sprayed the jet with foam to help extinguish the blaze

‘It was attempting to take off, but early reports show that it never made it off the ground,’ Deal said. The jet slid off the northern end of the runway onto a grassy area, but it never left the airport property. It was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived.

Oroville Municipal Airport Manager Rick Farley gave media a tour of the airport’s longest runway – 6,000 feet. He pointed out skid marks, where the plane went beyond the runway and into the field beyond. He said he feels for the pilots and how panicked they must have been.

‘Well, you’ve just ran out of runway. Now you’re going off, into this grass area, and you’re still not stopping. Now you just went through that area and you’re headed, you know, towards the highway and you’re still not stopping, and you stop clear over there. Can you imagine skidding that far?’ Farley said.

The airport, which does not have commercial flights, remained open

The airport, which does not have commercial flights, remained open

Firefighters were able to quickly control the grass fire, but it took more than an hour to extinguish the jet, partly because it had just taken on 400 gallons of jet fuel, he said. A crash truck from nearby Chico sprayed the jet with foam to help extinguish the blaze.

The airport, which does not have commercial flights, remained open.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. It typically takes the NTSB a year or more to determine a probable cause of an accident, Gregor said.

Delta Private Jets spokesperson Elizabeth Wolf released the following statement on the crash: ‘We are in close contact with the customers on board an aircraft operated by Delta Private Jets that left the runway in Oroville, Calif., on Wednesday after the crew elected to reject takeoff before leaving the ground.

‘All eight customers and two crew safely exited the aircraft and were escorted to the terminal. While the cause of the incident is currently under investigation, we are providing support to customers involved through re-accommodation and other resources.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk