A Delta Air Lines Boeing aircraft had to be emergency evacuated in Atlanta on Friday morning after one of the jet’s engines caught on fire, forcing the pilot to abort takeoff halfway down the runway, leaving four passengers with minor injuries.
More than 200 people aboard the Boeing 757 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had to exit the plane via inflatable emergency slides that deployed from the aircraft an “engine issue,” airline officials told CNN.
Shocking videos taken by witnesses and passengers who evacuated show people sliding out of the jet and running across the snowy tarmac:
One passenger took to X to say that the engine caught “fire on takeoff,” and thanked staff for helping travelers to exit the plane during the “terrifying” incident:
Audio from the airport’s Air Traffic Control tower confirmed that flames and smoke were coming out of the plane, prompting an emergency evacuation of everyone on board:
“On takeoff, something went wrong and engine caught fire,” passenger Curtis James told CNN. “Had to emergency evacuate the plane.”
“Delta’s flight crew followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff of flight 2668 from Atlanta (ATL) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) after an indication of an engine issue,” the airline said in a statement to the outlet, without mentioning a fire.
Flight tracking data obtained by the publication shows that the plane aborted takeoff about halfway down the runway at about 9:10 a.m.
“Four passengers are reporting minor injuries; one was transported, the remaining three were treated on scene,” airport officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told CNN that it is “monitoring the event,” but “has not initiated an official investigation at this time.”
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