Fire erupted in one engine of a Delta Air Lines plane just after takeoff late last week at Los Angeles International Airport, but after a quick turnaround, the jet landed safely.
Flight 446, which was en route from LAX to Atlanta on Friday afternoon, made a loop and touched down about 2:10 pm, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which said the incident would be investigated.
The Boeing 767-400 had 226 passengers on board, along with two pilots and seven flight attendants. Shortly after takeoff, the crew received an “indication of an issue with the aircraft’s left engine,” according to Delta.
By chance, a camera operator for L.A. Flights, a YouTube channel that livestreams planes coming in and out of LAX, happened to catch Delta 446 just as its engine caught fire. Video shows the plane angled up into the sky with flames shooting out of its left engine.
“Whoa. Hang on, that’s not good,” the camera operator says as the flames continue to flare. “Oh my gosh.” Minutes later, the video shows the plane landing safely as fire trucks speed toward it. The plane was able to return to the gate on its own power, and passengers were re-booked on other flights.
Later, people claiming to be passengers or family members of passengers posted comments on the video.
“I was on this flight, sitting in the middle aisle,” one person wrote. “I couldn’t see the smoke or fire but some people saw it. It was really scary for those 10 minutes! Everyone remained very calm, even if we were internally panicking. Very thankful to be on land now!”
Another person, who said their daughter was on the plane, added: “The flight crew was exceptional and calm the whole time. Kudos to all of them for the safe return of all on board.”
