British Airways plane catches fire on Las Vegas runway

[webfact]

British Airways plane catches fire on Las Vegas runway
KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Associated Press
KEN RITTER, Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — An engine on a London-bound British Airways jet caught fire Tuesday while the plane was preparing to take off from Las Vegas, shooting flames from the side of the jet and forcing passengers to escape on emergency slides.

Billowing black smoke and orange flames could be seen pouring from under the plane's wings, sending passengers fleeing quickly from the aircraft and across the tarmac before about 50 firefighters doused the aircraft in minutes.

The 159 passengers and 13 crew members on board got off the plane, McCarran International Airport spokesman Chris Jones said.

Fire officials said 14 people were taken to Sunrise Hospital by early Tuesday evening for minor injuries, most a result of sliding down the inflatable chutes to escape.

The Federal Aviation Administration delayed flights to Las Vegas from some airports for more than two hours after the fire to slow the flow of planes while the disabled Boeing 777 made two of the airport's four runways inaccessible. One of the runways reopened about 2 1/2 hours after the fire.

Reggie Bügmüncher, of Philadelphia, said she was charging her phone and waiting at a gate for her flight when she heard people saying, "Oh, my God." She looked out the window and could see "bursts of flames coming out of the middle of the plane."

"Everyone ran to the windows and people were standing on their chairs, looking out, holding their breath with their hands over their mouths," Bügmüncher said.

The plane's emergency slides were deployed a few moments later and passengers quickly got off the plane. She said it was a "bit more orderly" than she would have expected given the dramatic nature of the fire and smoke.

Firefighters stationed at the airport reached the plane two minutes after getting reports of flames, and within another three minutes, everyone inside the plane had escaped.

After firefighters extinguished the flames, emergency vehicles could be seen surrounding the aircraft, which was left a sooty gray from the smoke and fire retardant.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane's left engine caught fire and an investigation was under way. The National Transportation Safety Board was collecting information about the incident, said Eric Weiss, a spokesman for the agency in Washington.

Clark County Deputy Fire Chief Jon Klassen said the cause of the fire wasn't clear yet, but the fire didn't appear to breach the cabin.

One of the airport's runways was shut down, but operations continued on the other three runways, officials said.

The Boeing 777-200, popular with airlines for its fuel efficiency for long-haul flights, was bound for Gatwick Airport near London.

In its 21-year history, the 777-200 has been involved in two fatal crashes, one in July 2013 that killed three passengers when an Asiana Airlines flight landed short of San Francisco International Airport's runway, and the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared last year and was only recently recovered.

British Airways spokeswoman Caroline Titmuss didn't answer questions about the incident in an email exchange but said "safety is always our priority."

Titmuss said in an email that the airline was "looking after customers" but didn't elaborate. She said the airline would release more information later.

Las Vegas' airport is the ninth-busiest in the U.S. and had nearly 43 million passengers last year. The airport has been taking steps to accommodate more international travelers seeking direct flights to Europe and Asia, including adding new gates to accommodate wide-body double-decker jets.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-09

[Carmine6]

Wow, that was an actual fire. Early reports on the radio sounded like just a smoke in the cabin type event, but that engine was up in flames.

One reason to keep your shoes on until well after takeoff. Las Vegas tarmac in the middle of the day isn't going to be comfortable without shoes.

A Guardian reporter was on the flight. Gave his account:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/09/british-airways-plane-fire-reporter-describes-panic-on-las-vegas-flight-2276?CMP=soc_567

[Mosha]

172 very lucky people.

[stevenl]

the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared last year and was only recently recovered.

Please AP, do tell.

[webfact]

Boeing 777 plane catches fire on Las Vegas runway
English.news.cn

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- A British Airways plane caught fire during takeoff on a runway in Las Vegas on Tuesday afternoon, said local aviation authority.

The Airways flight 2276 heading for London's Gatwick Airport was scheduled to take off about 4 p.m. Pacific time (2300 GMT) and its left engine caught fire at 4:13 p.m. (2313 GMT), officials of Las Vegas McCarran Airport said.

The crew immediately aborted the takeoff and evacuated all passengers off the flight by 4:18 p.m. (2318 GMT), according to airport officials.

The aircraft was a 275-seat Boeing 777-200 on which there were 159 passengers and 13 crew members aboard at the time. McCarran Airport confirmed two of the aboard people were transported for minor injuries.

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the aircraft's left engine caught fire and the crew aborted its takeoff, but the reason of fire was still unclear.

According to an online video clip inside the terminal of McCarran Airport, a plume of black smoke came from the left engine and billowed into the sky, and flames could be seen clearly.

Full story: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-09/09/c_134605675.htm

-- Xinhua 2015-09-09

[robertthebruce]

Lucky people for sure,

Noticed they were walking along the Tarmac carrying there Luggage ??, always was led to believe in any kind of Emergency just get out A.S.A.P.

Silly People, lives are more important than possessions...

[kamahele]

Lucky people for sure,

Noticed they were walking along the Tarmac carrying there Luggage ??, always was led to believe in any kind of Emergency just get out A.S.A.P.

Silly People, lives are more important than possessions...

As a former crew-member of another carrier, the crew was probably screaming at people to leave their bags behind as is common practice during an emergency but people will risk their own lives and the lives of others to save their over-sized bags

[MaxYakov]

If your aircraft is going to incinerate, it's best to catch it before "wheels-up" (actually, before V1).

Hats off to the crew and passengers for getting everyone out quickly and safely.

Got to give credit to BA, Boeing, FAA and the NTSB and flight safety efforts as well.

The idiots with the bags ... not so much.

Edited September 9, 2015 by MaxYakov

[Basil B]

Substantial damage...

http://avherald.com/h?article=48c10434&opt=0

[tolsti]

British Airways plane catches fire on Las Vegas runway

KIMBERLY PIERCEALL, Associated Press

KEN RITTER, Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — An engine on a London-bound British Airways jet caught fire Tuesday while the plane was preparing to take off from Las Vegas, shooting flames from the side of the jet and forcing passengers to escape on emergency slides.

Billowing black smoke and orange flames could be seen pouring from under the plane's wings, sending passengers fleeing quickly from the aircraft and across the tarmac before about 50 firefighters doused the aircraft in minutes.

The 159 passengers and 13 crew members on board got off the plane, McCarran International Airport spokesman Chris Jones said.

Fire officials said 14 people were taken to Sunrise Hospital by early Tuesday evening for minor injuries, most a result of sliding down the inflatable chutes to escape.

The Federal Aviation Administration delayed flights to Las Vegas from some airports for more than two hours after the fire to slow the flow of planes while the disabled Boeing 777 made two of the airport's four runways inaccessible. One of the runways reopened about 2 1/2 hours after the fire.

Reggie Bügmüncher, of Philadelphia, said she was charging her phone and waiting at a gate for her flight when she heard people saying, "Oh, my God." She looked out the window and could see "bursts of flames coming out of the middle of the plane."

"Everyone ran to the windows and people were standing on their chairs, looking out, holding their breath with their hands over their mouths," Bügmüncher said.

The plane's emergency slides were deployed a few moments later and passengers quickly got off the plane. She said it was a "bit more orderly" than she would have expected given the dramatic nature of the fire and smoke.

Firefighters stationed at the airport reached the plane two minutes after getting reports of flames, and within another three minutes, everyone inside the plane had escaped.

After firefighters extinguished the flames, emergency vehicles could be seen surrounding the aircraft, which was left a sooty gray from the smoke and fire retardant.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane's left engine caught fire and an investigation was under way. The National Transportation Safety Board was collecting information about the incident, said Eric Weiss, a spokesman for the agency in Washington.

Clark County Deputy Fire Chief Jon Klassen said the cause of the fire wasn't clear yet, but the fire didn't appear to breach the cabin.

One of the airport's runways was shut down, but operations continued on the other three runways, officials said.

The Boeing 777-200, popular with airlines for its fuel efficiency for long-haul flights, was bound for Gatwick Airport near London.

In its 21-year history, the 777-200 has been involved in two fatal crashes, one in July 2013 that killed three passengers when an Asiana Airlines flight landed short of San Francisco International Airport's runway, and the Malaysia Airlines flight that disappeared last year and was only recently recovered.

British Airways spokeswoman Caroline Titmuss didn't answer questions about the incident in an email exchange but said "safety is always our priority."

Titmuss said in an email that the airline was "looking after customers" but didn't elaborate. She said the airline would release more information later.

Las Vegas' airport is the ninth-busiest in the U.S. and had nearly 43 million passengers last year. The airport has been taking steps to accommodate more international travelers seeking direct flights to Europe and Asia, including adding new gates to accommodate wide-body double-decker jets.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-09

Reggie Bugmuncher.... You just couldn't make that name up!

[fish fingers]

Glad the plane wasnt further down the runway or taking off .. but in any emergency, I'd personally want the pilot to be BA (and not Air France).

Altho thats the third serious incident involving a BA 777.

[kannot]

Glad the plane wasnt further down the runway or taking off .. but in any emergency, I'd personally want the pilot to be BA (and not Air France).

Altho thats the third serious incident involving a BA 777.

But you need to point out the 777's very good safety record also

[Berkshire]

Lucky people for sure,

Noticed they were walking along the Tarmac carrying there Luggage ??, always was led to believe in any kind of Emergency just get out A.S.A.P.

Silly People, lives are more important than possessions...

Well if you could get out with your life AND your luggage, wouldn't you?

[kannot]

Lucky people for sure,

Noticed they were walking along the Tarmac carrying there Luggage ??, always was led to believe in any kind of Emergency just get out A.S.A.P.

Silly People, lives are more important than possessions...

Well if you could get out with your life AND your luggage, wouldn't you?

Nah thats just selfish, if you ever been on a plane at disembarking time with some idiot taking 10 minutes to get his oversized bag down then trying to open it to put something in/get something out etc all the time no one can move due to him/her/it

Every second counts, last thing id be worrying about on a plane on fire would be my luggage

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed.

[RickBradford]

My best experience with BA was on a long-haul to London earlier this year. They'd overbooked the flight and shunted me over to SQ on a A380 instead. . . . .

BA is like a microcosm of modern Britain; a joke of a service using clapped-out equipment, with surly staff operating from shabby terminals, with appalling timekeeping which nobody seems to care about.

[fish fingers]

Glad the plane wasnt further down the runway or taking off .. but in any emergency, I'd personally want the pilot to be BA (and not Air France).

Altho thats the third serious incident involving a BA 777.

But you need to point out the 777's very good safety record also

You just did it for me

[Lokie]

Lucky people for sure,

Noticed they were walking along the Tarmac carrying there Luggage ??, always was led to believe in any kind of Emergency just get out A.S.A.P.

Silly People, lives are more important than possessions...

Well if you could get out with your life AND your luggage, wouldn't you?

Nope, Me Me Me! You get out, leave all possesions behind as taking your luggage could endanger not only your life but that of others... Every passenger who got off this aircraft with their luggage should be fined for endangering life.

Thank goodness they all got off safely

Anyone who wants to argue then checkout the Manchester 737 fire from the 80s then post why it would be ok for people to mess about getting their luggage off? And as said I keep my shoes on at landing/take off just in case of an evacuation

[ableguy]

Wow, that was an actual fire. Early reports on the radio sounded like just a smoke in the cabin type event, but that engine was up in flames.

One reason to keep your shoes on until well after takeoff. Las Vegas tarmac in the middle of the day isn't going to be comfortable without shoes.

A Guardian reporter was on the flight. Gave his account:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/09/british-airways-plane-fire-reporter-describes-panic-on-las-vegas-flight-2276?CMP=soc_567

That would be the least of ones concern, silly comment.

[Basil B]

My best experience with BA was on a long-haul to London earlier this year. They'd overbooked the flight and shunted me over to SQ on a A380 instead. . . . .

BA is like a microcosm of modern Britain; a joke of a service using clapped-out equipment, with surly staff operating from shabby terminals, with appalling timekeeping which nobody seems to care about.

I was going to say I hope you got an upgrade too...

But then I read your second paragraph and came to the conclusion anything above cattle class and you would be lost...

[Chicog]

Well it's not BA any more, it's IAG, and even then it's difficult for them to compete with three heavily subsidised Gulf carriers.

But really, they ought to think about dumping the 777, it seems to be their unlucky plane.

[hawksway]

This incident may well be traced to a refuelling error leak at Las Vegas.

As is usual, on the rare occasions that BA has problems, it shows its professionalism and fortitude to bring passengers to safety. That's why so many trust their lives in BA even though it's more expensive than many other carriers.

[Carmine6]

Wow, that was an actual fire. Early reports on the radio sounded like just a smoke in the cabin type event, but that engine was up in flames.

One reason to keep your shoes on until well after takeoff. Las Vegas tarmac in the middle of the day isn't going to be comfortable without shoes.

A Guardian reporter was on the flight. Gave his account:

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/09/british-airways-plane-fire-reporter-describes-panic-on-las-vegas-flight-2276?CMP=soc_567

That would be the least of ones concern, silly comment.

We'll I didn't want to be hyperbolic about it, but it is a serious comment. What happens after you're off the plane is not a small part of getting out of danger. Often there's sharp debris, hot items, fire, or rough terrain to deal with. They advise women with high heeled shoes to leave them and just go if they have to evacuate. To avoid puncturing the slide, but also because you can't run in them.

I keep my shoes on well after takeoff and long before landing specifically for that reason. I also wear shoes and not flip flops or other flimsy footwear. I even count rows to the exits, though I've always wondered if I'd remember if I had to in smoke or total darkness.

[RickBradford]

My best experience with BA was on a long-haul to London earlier this year. They'd overbooked the flight and shunted me over to SQ on a A380 instead. . . . .

BA is like a microcosm of modern Britain; a joke of a service using clapped-out equipment, with surly staff operating from shabby terminals, with appalling timekeeping which nobody seems to care about.

I was going to say I hope you got an upgrade too...

But then I read your second paragraph and came to the conclusion anything above cattle class and you would be lost...

I couldn't realistically expect an upgrade as I was travelling Business Class anyway - or BA's version of it, Cattle Business Class.

Going to SQ was upgrade enough.

Edited September 10, 2015 by RickBradford