FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 29 (UPI) — More than 20 people were injured Thursday afternoon when a Boeing 767 bound for Venezuela suddenly caught fire on the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, authorities said.
Dynamic Airways Flight 0405 was on Taxiway B at the airport (FLL) preparing to take off when the aircraft’s left engine abruptly burst into flames and sent thick, black smoke into the sky.
As the jet sat burning on the tarmac, the emergency doors were opened and all 101 passengers and crew evacuated onto the taxiway via rear emergency slides. More than 20 people were reported injured — and many of them were hospitalized.
The fire caused 42 flights to be cancelled and delayed 187 others at the airport, an airport spokesman said. There were 88 adults, 2 children and 11 crew on the plane.
One person received serious burns and a child was among those hurt, ABC News reported. The extent of the injuries were not disclosed but ABC News’ report said the burn victim was stabilized in the intensive care unit.
Just before the fire started, the pilot of a trailing aircraft reported to the air traffic control tower that the Dynamic Airways jet was leaking what appeared to be fuel from its left wing.
“Out of the left engine, it looks like it’s leaking a lot of, I don’t know if it’s fuel, it’s fluid leaking out of the live engine,” the following plane’s pilot said, according to audio provided by LiveATC.net.
“We copy. We will probably need to go back to the ramp,” a pilot aboard the Dynamic flight replied.
Moments later, the engine caught fire and the flames rapidly began consuming the aircraft.
“Engine’s on fire! Engine’s on fire!” a pilot shouted to the control tower.
Fire crews arrived within two minutes and covered the burning jetliner in foam retardant. Both of the airport’s runways were closed and all incoming flights were diverted, the FAA said. The closure was expected to last until 6:20 p.m. EDT but the FAA tweeted at about 5 p.m. that the south runway had reopened.
“The crew followed the emergency procedures, shut down the engine and evacuated the aircraft in order to assure safety to all on board,” the carrier said in a statement posted to Facebook Thursday.
“Dynamic International Airways would like to thank personnel of the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood airport as well as employees of other airlines which helped with servicing and care of the passengers during the incident,” Dynamic said in a subsequent statement, adding that the passengers would take a later flight to Venezuela. “Dynamic International Airways would like to thank its passengers for their patience and support while our teams conduct their duties.”
The cause of the fire will be investigated by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the country’s civil aviation authority. They will be joined by representatives of the FAA, Boeing, Dynamic Airways, and the plane’s engine-maker, Pratt & Whitney.
Headquartered in North Carolina, Dynamic Airways operates a fleet of five Boeing 767-200/300s between airports in New York City, Fort Lauderdale, Venezuela, Guyana, Hong Kong and Palau — and operates a route from China to Los Angeles via Alaska. The airline was established in 2010.
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