A Spirit Airlines flight caught fire while landing at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from Tampa Bay, Florida, on Sunday morning, the airline said. The airline caught fire on the runway after one of its landing gear brakes overheated. However, Atlanta Fire Rescue promptly put out the fire.
Lucky everyone was safe and there were no reports of injuries. Video shows flames and smoke coming from underneath Spirit Airlines flight 383 as it touched down the runway. Last month, three people were injured when a Red Air plane caught fire the moment it landed at Miami International Airport, bringing a halt to flights from the airport for hours.
Narrow Escape
Passengers onboard the Spirit Airline flight 383 panicked as it caught fire seconds after landing on the runway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Many were seen recording videos of the fire as the rescue team rushed to evacuate them from the aircraft.
According to Spirit Airlines, a brake overheated upon arrival at the airport at roughly 9:25 am, starting a small fire. The flames were promptly put out by first responders. Passengers reportedly descended from the plane safely after it was securely hauled to gate D2.
"Spirit Flight 383 from Tampa to Atlanta landed safely in Atlanta International Airport and upon landing one of the brakes overheated," Spirit said in a statement on Sunday.
"The aircraft was towed to the gate where Guests safely deplaned without any injuries. Thank you to the Atlanta first responders for immediately meeting the aircraft. The plane will be temporarily removed from service for maintenance."
According to Scottie Nelms, who was on board, everything was good when the plane took off. However, after takeoff, everything changed.
"Once we landed it made a weird noise from the left side of the plane. Nobody knew what it was until we stopped completely in the middle of the landing strip," Nelms told FOX 5. "We saw a flame coming from the engine and people and myself started freaking out."
Moment of Horror
A video taken by a passenger on a different plane shows smoke rising from below the aircraft as it is stopped on the runway. On the plane, flames could be seen emerging from the left rear wheel.
Another video shot from inside the aircraft shows seated and standing passengers in panic as they were clueless about what was happening. On the loudspeaker of the aircraft, flight attendants can be heard telling passengers to stay put in their seats rather than evacuate.
"Ladies and gentlemen, stay seated, stay seated, we do not have to evacuate now. Please remain seated," a Spirit Airlines flight attendant says in the video, posted by Twitter user @imgoinscottie.
Spirit Airlines said in a statement that the aircraft would be temporarily taken out of service for repair and an investigation has been launched into the incident.
The incident comes just over a month after three people were hurt when a Red Air plane caught fire as it was landing at Miami International Airport. According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane's landing gear also caught fire during the landing.
