Fliers describe terrifying chaos aboard fiery American Airlines flight: ‘Grateful’ to be alive
Passengers on an American Airlines flight that burst into flames in Colorado on Thursday described chaos as the cabin filled with smoke and the windows started to melt and said they are “grateful” to be alive.
The Texas-bound Boeing 737-800 was diverted to Denver shortly after taking off from Colorado Springs because the crew reported engine vibrations. After it landed, it began taxiing, and an engine caught fire, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“[The plane] landed, everything was fine, but then there was smoke filling the cabin,” said Michele Woods, who was on her way home from a trade show, to CBS News Texas.
She said people were screaming and pushing when the plane landed and called the ordeal “really scary.”
Woods, who was seated at the front of the plane and could hear the “loud noise” being caused by the engine, was able to walk off, but other passengers were forced to evacuate onto a wing and use inflatable slides to exit.
Videos shared to social media showed the terrifying scene, including black smoke billowing from the plane.
Ingrid Hibbit, who was traveling on the plane with her family to a wedding in Argentina and planning to catch a connecting flight in Dallas, said the landing was “abrupt.”
She said she could see the blaze from her window, which started to melt.
“Getting off the plane was a challenge. … [It] didn’t go smoothly,” she told CBS, adding that she is “grateful to be here.”
Twelve people suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospitals, airport officials said.
Flt. 1006, which had 172 passengers and six crew members aboard, experienced an “engine-related issue” after taxiing to the gate, American Airlines said, but further details were not immediately provided.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
With Post wires
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