While they are extremely rare in comparison to the approximately hundred thousand flights that take off and land every day without a problem, any type of fire on a plane stokes many people’s worst flying fears and will therefore spread quickly on social media.
The latest viral video of a plane in flames occurred on a cargo plane from Atlas Air (AAWW) – Get Free Report that was scheduled to go from Miami to Puerto Rico’s San Juan. It took off from the airport on the afternoon of Jan. 18 but, according to FlightAware data for the flight, was in the air for only 14 minutes before having to make an emergency landing.
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Video captured by an observer on the ground at Miami International Airport shows a plane heading back toward the runway as flames come out of one of the engines.
An Atlas Air Boeing cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Miami International Airport after experiencing an engine malfunction shortly after departure, today.
The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA.pic.twitter.com/5BLPAMNhn9
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) January 19, 2024
Engine malfunction sets off ‘trail of sparks,’ video shows
An early investigation revealed that one of the engines had malfunctioned due to a “softball-sized hole” that had somehow appeared during the short time the plane was in the air or gone unnoticed. This set off a “trail of sparks” shortly after the plane took off at 10:34 p.m. and the flight crew took immediate steps to redirect the flight and land by 11:03 p.m. The affected plane was a Boeing 747-8 (BA) – Get Free Report in use since 2015.
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Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was ready at the scene but everyone among the five crew onboard was able to get out safely on their own and no one needed to be seen at a hospital. Atlas Air reiterated that “safety is always a top priority” and that it will be undertaking a more thorough investigation to determine what caused the hole in the engine.
“AIRCRAFT DEPARTED, EXPERIENCED #2 ENGINE FAILURE AND RETURNED TO LAND, POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED A SOFTBALL SIZE HOLE ABOVE #2 ENGINE, MIAMI, FL,” reads the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) note on the incident.
These are some of the other recent plane fires to capture national attention
But despite the quick nature of the incident and good ending, the dramatic footage filmed from the ground captured the imagination of social media users and spread quickly into various corners of the internet.
Last November, the engine of an Airbus A321 (EADSF) – Get Free Report erupted into flames after a bird came into its way as the Chile-based Latam Airlines (LTMAQ) – Get Free Report was flying over Brazil on the way from Salvador to São Paulo. The plane was able to make a safe landing at Luís Eduardo Magalhães Airport without any injuries to passengers.
In March 2023, a Spirit Airlines (SAVE) – Get Free Report flight from Dallas to Orlando saw a fire break out in one of its overhead compartments. Many of the passengers aboard the flight said that their “lives flashed before our eyes” when they saw the flames spreading quickly through the cabin.
As it turned out, the fire was caused by a battery — while large ones are definitely not allowed on flights, airlines have recently also started drawing attention to the fact that even a small lithium battery in a phone charger or battery case can set off a spark.
