(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
On Thursday (March 13), American Airlines passengers experienced a terrifying situation that unfolded mid-air and escalated upon landing. According to The New York Times, the plane caught fire after making a stop in Denver. Dozens of passengers evacuated onto the aircraft’s wing. Now, shocking footage of the incident is making its rounds on social media!
NYT reports that the American Airlines incident began with mid-flight “high engine vibration.” The pilot didn’t report the vibration as an emergency right away. Instead, per CNN, the pilot told air traffic control that they were “cruising slower than normal.” The plane was diverted to land at Denver International Airport at around 5:15 p.m. local time. Minutes after it pulled up to gate C38, a “mayday” call came in, citing an “engine fire.” Employees had to act quickly to get the passengers out to safety and began ushering folks onto the wing. Others were evacuated down a slide. Ultimately, the ground crew extinguished the fire coming from the plane’s right engine.
It was a Boeing 737-800 plane. One hundred seventy-two passengers and six crew members were on board, heading to Dallas from Colorado Springs. No one died away during the incident. However, the Denver Fire Department said 12 passengers went to hospital for minor injuries. American Airlines released a statement thanking everyone involved for their efforts.
“We thank our crew members, DEN team, and first responders for their quick and decisive action with the safety of everyone on board and on the ground as the priority, the statement said.
CNN reported that AA sent a replacement plane to transport the impacted passengers to Dallas as initially intended.
One passenger named Ingrid Hibbits was traveling with her husband and two daughters to a wedding in Argentina. They were all seated in different parts of the plane. She told KTVT she spotted flames when she looked out the window. Also, she noticed the windowbubbling as if melting.“Everyone started screaming, and you hear ‘Fire,‘“ Ingrid shared. Though folks were allegedly pushing to get out, she was able to make it tothe plane’s wing.
“Getting off the plane was a challenge, didn’t go smoothly,” Hibbits said. “Grateful to be here.”
