American Airlines jet with 182 people on board goes up in flames
An American Airlines plane with 182 people on board was forced to abort takeoff due to a fire.
All 176 passengers and six cabin crew members evacuate the airplane via the emergency slide on the runway at Denver Airport, Colorado as smoke billowed from the fuselage.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8, bound for Miami, was preparing to take to the sky when a technical issue with a tyre required pilots to abandon the takeoff.
Footage shows flames engulfing the rear end of the aircraft as passengers slid down the slide, running away in the opposite direction.
One person on the flight was taken to hospital where they were treated for minor injuries, ABC News reported.
Audio from Air Traffic Control shows the captain being informed of smoke and flames coming from the plane after aborting the takeoff.
They were told by a controller: 'You've got a lot of smoke'.
One passenger, Mark Tsurkis, 50, said he heard a 'loud boom' before the aircraft suddenly slowed down.
'When the plane stopped about 30 seconds to a minute later, somebody said, 'Smoke, fire.' And then a lot of people, of course, started panicking', he added.
A statement from the FAA said: 'American Airlines Flight 3023 reported a possible landing gear incident during departure from Denver International Airport around 2.45 ppm local time Saturday, July 26.
'Passengers evacuated on the runway and are being transported to the terminal by bus.
'The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was headed to Miami International Airport. The FAA will investigate. Contact the airline for additional information.' More Trending
American Airlines said it had arranged a replacement flight to Miami for the passengers, which departed later on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the airline said: 'American Airlines flight 3023 experienced a maintenance issue prior to takeoff at Denver International Airport.
'All customers and crew deplaned safely and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team.
'We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologise to our customers for their experience.'
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Pastor and wife took $3,400,000 from congregation in crypto scam attributed to God
MORE: The 'best' restaurant in the US is officially coming to London
MORE: Man pockets £1,500,000 after accidentally buying two identical lottery tickets
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Broken altimeter, ignored warnings: Hearings reveal what went wrong in DC crash that killed 67
Over three days of sometimes contentious hearings this week, the National Transportation Safety Board interrogated Federal Aviation Administration and Army officials about a list of things that went wrong and contributed to a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet colliding over Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. The biggest revelations: The helicopter's altimeter gauge was broken, and controllers warned the FAA years earlier about the dangers that helicopters presented. At one point NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy scolded the FAA for not addressing safety concerns. 'Are you kidding me? Sixty-seven people are dead! How do you explain that? Our bureaucratic process?' she said. 'Fix it. Do better.' Victims of the January crash included a group of elite young figure skaters, their parents and coaches and four union steamfitters from the Washington area. Here is a look at the major takeaways from the hearings about the collision, which alarmed travelers before a string of other crashes and close calls this year added to their worries about flying: The helicopter's altimeter was wrong The helicopter was flying at 278 feet (85 meters) — well above the 200-foot (61-meter) ceiling on that route — when it collided with the airliner. But investigators said the pilots might not have realized that because the barometric altimeter they were relying on was reading 80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters) lower than the altitude registered by the flight data recorder. The NTSB subsequently found similar discrepancies in the altimeters of three other helicopters from the same unit. An expert with Sikorsky, which makes the Black Hawks, said the one that crashed was an older model that lacked the air data computers that make for more accurate altitude readings in newer versions. Army Chief Warrant Officer Kylene Lewis told the board that an 80- to 100-foot (24- to 30-meter) discrepancy between the different altimeters on a helicopter would not be alarming, because at lower altitudes she would be relying more on the radar altimeter than the barometric altimeter. Plus Army pilots strive to stay within 100 feet (30 meters) of target altitude on flights, so they could still do that even with their altimeters that far off. But Rick Dressler of medevac operator Metro Aviation told the NTSB that imprecision would not fly with his helicopters. When a helicopter route like the one the Black Hawk was flying that night includes an altitude limit, Dressler said, his pilots consider that a hard ceiling. FAA and Army defend actions, shift blame Both tried to deflect responsibility for the crash, but the testimony highlighted plenty of things that might have been done differently. The NTSB's final report will be done next year, but there likely will not be one single cause identified for the crash. 'I think it was a week of reckoning for the FAA and the U.S. Army in this accident,' aviation safety consultant and former crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti said. Army officials said the greater concern is that the FAA approved routes around Ronald Reagan International Airport with separation distances as small as 75 feet (23 meters) between helicopters and planes when planes are landing on a certain runway at Reagan. 'The fact that we have less than 500-foot separation is a concern for me,' said Scott Rosengren, chief engineer in the office that manages the Army's utility helicopters. Army Chief Warrant Officer David Van Vechten said he was surprised the air traffic controller let the helicopter proceed while the airliner was circling to land at Reagan's secondary runway, which is used when traffic for the main runway stacks up and accounts for about 5% of flights. Van Vechten said he was never allowed to fly under a landing plane as the Black Hawk did, but only a handful of the hundreds of times he flew that route involved planes landing on that runway. Other pilots in the unit told crash investigators it was routine to be directed to fly under landing planes, and they believed that was safe if they stuck to the approved route. Frank McIntosh, the head of the FAA's air traffic control organization, said he thinks controllers at Reagan 'were really dependent upon the use of visual separation' to keep traffic moving through the busy airspace. The NTSB said controllers repeatedly said they would just 'make it work.' They sometimes used 'squeeze plays' to land planes with minimal separation. On the night of the crash, a controller twice asked the helicopter pilots whether they had the jet in sight, and the pilots said they did and asked for visual separation approval so they could use their own eyes to maintain distance. Testimony at the hearing raised serious questions about how well the crew could spot the plane while wearing night vision goggles and whether the pilots were even looking in the right spot. The controller acknowledged in an interview that the plane's pilots were never warned when the helicopter was on a collision path, but controllers did not think telling the plane would have made a difference at that point. The plane was descending to land and tried to pull up at the last second after getting a warning in the cockpit, but it was too late. FAA was warned about the dangers of helicopter traffic in D.C. An FAA working group tried to get a warning added to helicopter charts back in 2022 urging pilots to use caution whenever the secondary runway was in use, but the agency refused. The working group said 'helicopter operations are occurring in a proximity that has triggered safety events. These events have been trending in the wrong direction and increasing year over year.' Separately, a different group at the airport discussed moving the helicopter route, but those discussions did not go anywhere. And a manager at a regional radar facility in the area urged the FAA in writing to reduce the number of planes taking off and landing at Reagan because of safety concerns. The NTSB has also said the FAA failed to recognize a troubling history of 85 near misses around Reagan in the three years before the collision, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said 'every sign was there that there was a safety risk and the tower was telling you that.' But after the accident, the FAA transferred managers out of the airport instead of acknowledging that they had been warned. 'What you did is you transferred people out instead of taking ownership over the fact that everybody in FAA in the tower was saying there was a problem,' Homendy said. 'But you guys are pointing out, 'Welp, our bureaucratic process. Somebody should have brought it up at some other symposium.'' ___
Belfast Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Royal Black Institution holds annual procession of Battle of Newtownbutler in Co Fermanagh
Over 30 preceptories joined 36 marching bands in the Lakeland village of Derrygonnelly on Saturday. A approximately 2000 participants took to village's streets as onlookers heard accordions, flutes and pipes play marching songs. Leading this year's procession was Ballyreagh Silver Band which celebrated its 150th anniversary this year followed by Garrison Accordion, Enniskillen Pipe and Inver Flue bands. News Catch Up - Friday 1st August Sovereign Grand Master Rev William Anderson, who was the principal speaker at the demonstration field on Creamery Road, said: 'The Royal Black Institution has a long history and tradition in Fermanagh. 'This traditional event draws together sir knights from the border counties of Fermanagh, Cavan, Monaghan, and Donegal. We have enjoyed a wonderful day here in the great village of Derrygonnely, where we have witnessed for the Reformed Christian Faith and celebrated our history and culture. 'I trust that as our banners float in the wind, and as the spectators gaze upon those brilliant paintings of scriptural truths, they will be encouraged to recognise their need of a Saviour, One who can truly save them from their sins, as they accept in their lives that wonderful gift of God's grace for themselves.' County Grand Master Neville McElwaine congratulated the members of Derrygonnelly Star of Freedom RBP 465 for 'having the vision and dedication' to host the event. 'I am certain today will be another memorable chapter in the rich history of our great institution here in Co Fermanagh. Our dedicated charity this year is the Air Ambulance NI, which continues to offer live-saving services across Northern Ireland, and, in many cases, here in rural Fermanagh.'
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Night goggles may have hampered army pilots before DC plane crash, experts say
The pilots of a US army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet over Washington DC in January would have had difficulty spotting the plane while wearing night-vision goggles, experts told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Friday. The army goggles would have made it hard to see the plane's colored lights, which might have helped the Black Hawk determine the plane's direction. The goggles also limited the pilots' peripheral vision as they flew near Ronald Reagan Washington national airport that evening. The challenges posed by night-vision goggles were discussed at the NTSB's third and final day of public testimony over the fatal midair crash, which left all 67 people onboard both aircraft dead. Experts said another challenge that evening was distinguishing the plane from lights on the ground while the two aircraft were on a collision course. Also, the helicopter pilots may not have known where to look for a plane that was landing on a secondary runway that most planes did not use. 'Knowing where to look. That's key,' said Stephen Casner, an expert in human factors who used to work at Nasa. Two previous days of testimony underscored a number of factors that probably contributed to the collision, leading the NTSB chair, Jennifer Homendy, to urge the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to 'do better' as she pointed to warnings the agency ignored years earlier. Some of the major issues that have emerged so far include the Black Hawk helicopter flying above prescribed levels near Ronald Reagan airport as well as the warnings to FAA officials for years about the hazards related to the heavy chopper traffic there. It is too early for the board to identify what exactly caused the crash. A final report from the board will not come until next year. But it became clear this week how small a margin of error there was for helicopters flying the route the Black Hawk took the night of the nation's deadliest plane crash since November 2001. The January collision was the first in a string of crashes and near misses this year that have alarmed officials and the traveling public, despite statistics that still show flying remains the safest form of transportation. The board focused on air traffic control and heard on Thursday that it was common for pilots to ask to use visual separation or relying on their eyesight just as the army Black Hawk's pilots, who were wearing night-vision goggles, agreed to do the night of the crash. FAA officials also said controllers relied heavily on pilots using visual separation as a way to manage the complex airspace with so many helicopters flying around Washington DC.
