Fire Breaks Out on Passenger Plane Awaiting Takeoff at Florida Airport; No Casualties Reported

Fire Breaks Out in Right Engine Shortly After Departure
Series of Passenger Aircraft Accidents in the US This Year

A fire broke out on a Delta Air Lines passenger plane preparing for takeoff at Orlando Airport in Florida, USA. Yonhap News

A fire broke out on an aircraft preparing for takeoff at an airport in Florida, USA, prompting an emergency evacuation of passengers. There were 282 passengers and 12 crew members on board, but all were safely evacuated and no casualties have been reported.

According to reports from the Associated Press and Yonhap News on the 21st, the incident occurred at approximately 11:15 a.m. when Delta Air Lines Flight 1213 (an Airbus A330) experienced an engine fire while waiting for takeoff on the runway at Orlando Airport.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Delta Air Lines, the fire broke out just after the passenger plane had left the gate for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Videos taken by passengers in the terminal showed large flames coming from the right engine, after which passengers and crew evacuated onto the runway using emergency slides.

In a statement, Delta Air Lines said, "When fire was observed in one of the aircraft's two engines, the crew followed (safety) procedures to evacuate the passengers in the cabin."

This year, there have been frequent passenger aircraft incidents in the United States. On the 13th, a United Airlines passenger plane departing from Denver International Airport for Edmonton International Airport in Canada experienced a "rabbit strike," in which a rabbit entered the engine. On the 10th, at Ronald Reagan Airport near Washington, D.C., the wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 made contact with American Airlines Flight 4522 in a minor collision on the taxiway.