An American Airlines passenger plane's engine caught fire after it deviated from its route and made an emergency landing in Denver, Texas, USA.
The result was that the passengers had to be urgently evacuated, but no injuries were reported, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced.
The twin-engine Boeing 1006-737, American Airlines Flight 800, was en route from Colorado Springs to Dallas. It was forced to divert to a different airport around 17:15 p.m. local time (01:15 a.m. ET) after pilots reported vibrations in the right engine, the FAA said.
Dramatic footage is circulating on social media of passengers standing on a wing before being whisked away as smoke billows from the engine.
American Airlines' announcement
The company's management assured that the aircraft landed "safely" and "taxied to the gate" of Denver International Airport after experiencing an "engine-related issue," thanking the "crew members" and "its team in Denver" for the "quick and decisive" way they acted to guarantee "the safety" of those on board - the "customers," as it put it - and those on the ground, which was the "priority."
An investigation into the incident is underway.
The Boeing was carrying 172 passengers and six crew members. The FAA said it was investigating the incident. Boeing declined to comment, referring the matter to the airline and the investigation team.
The 737 fire follows a series of aviation tragedies that have raised questions about air safety in the U.S. The deadliest were on Jan. 30, when a commercial airliner collided with a military helicopter in Washington, D.C., killing 67 people, and on Feb. 1, when a medical transport plane crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing seven people, six on board and one on the ground.
Source: iefimerida.gr
