Passenger Plane Catches Fire at Fort Lauderdale Airport

Andrew DesiderioOct 29th, 2015, 1:43 pm
 

ft lauderdale planeArrivals and departures at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were put on hold Thursday afternoon after a passenger plane erupted in flames as it was taxiing to the runway.

The plane, a Dynamic Airways Boeing 767, was on the tarmac preparing to depart for Caracas, Venezuela, when an engine caught fire with all of the passengers on board. Passengers exited the aircraft via the emergency slides. According to WSVN, seven people were injured and three were hospitalized (UPDATED BELOW).

CNN reported that Federal Aviation Administration officials said the pilot of a plane behind the Dynamic 767 noticed fuel leaking from it as the left engine began to catch on fire.

Shortly after 12:30 p.m. ET, when the incident occurred, Twitter users posted videos of the plane as thick black smoke was coming from it:

NBC News reports that the plane itself is almost 30 years old, and was first operated by Kuwait Airways in 1986.

Watch CNN’s report below:

UPDATE — 3:15 p.m. ET: The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to Fort Lauderdale to investigate the incident. Additionally, officials now say 14 people were injured.

WSVN obtained audio communications between the control tower and the Dynamic pilot. Listen below:

UPDATE — 4:30 p.m. ET: The airport has reopened, but one runway is still closed off:

[Image via screengrab]

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