Moment Delta plane erupts into flames with travelers forced to climb onto wing as fire burns for over 4 minutes
VIDEO captured the moment a Delta flight caught fire at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last week.
Passengers on Delta Flight 604 were on their way back from Cancun, Mexico, and landed in Washington around 9:30 pm.
But after flight crews plugged the aircraft into the terminal’s electrical network, the end of their trip took an unexpected, and sudden turn.
The plane’s plug-in shorted out, sending sparks flying all over the floor and nose of the aircraft — causing a fire just under the cockpit of the plane.
The flames burned for over four minutes, according to airport spokesperson Perry Cooper.
Once the pilots smelled the smoke, they acted fast and told the crew to deploy the emergency exit slides, Cooper said.
Video obtained by local NBC affiliate KING-TV shows the front of the plane spark into flames before passengers were abruptly evacuated using an inflatable slide off the plane’s wing.
“Drop your belongings, unbuckle, and head to the exits,” is all that one passenger, Ashwin Menon, remembered hearing.
The surveillance footage shows all 189 passengers piling out onto the wing of the plane, before jumping onto that inflatable slide down to safety.
“I think people responded to that with panic, there was a little bit of jostling in the aisles to get to the exit,” Menon told local ABC affiliate KOMO-TV.
“It was like just jump out, jump onto the slides, and within a couple of minutes everyone was out,” said Menon.
“Once I got out of the flight you could see the fire burning right below the cockpit,” he continued.
“I was just glad everyone was able to make it out.”
Menon says that although the situation was scary, especially since he already has a fear of flying, he was calmer than he thought he would be.
“It was a pretty smooth evacuation process,” he said.
Menon says he received an email from Delta apologizing, asking about any expenses he incurred, and even sent him airline miles for future travel.
Delta says the plane, which was an Airbus A321neo, was less than 2 years old at the time of the incident.
“Out of an abundance of caution, slides were deployed, and passengers still on board deplaned via the rear of the aircraft,” Delta said in a statement.
“Passengers were fully evacuated, and those deplaned to the ramp returned to the terminal via the ramp stairs.”
Despite the fire burning out by the time the Port of Seattle Fire Department arrived, firefighters decided to spray down the area anyway, according to officials.
Fire officials and EMTs evaluated a few people on-site for injuries related to the slide, including one woman who twisted her ankle.
But none of the passengers had serious injuries or needed to be transported to a hospital, according to Cooper.
Officials are now investigating the cause of the fire.
Statements from Delta & The Federal Aviation Administration
Delta:
- “During deplaning Monday evening, the crew of Flight 604 from Cancun to Seattle witnessed smoke in the aircraft nose area after plugging into ground electrical power. Out of an abundance of caution, slides were deployed, and passengers still on board deplaned via the rear of the aircraft. Passengers were fully evacuated, and those deplaned to the ramp have returned to the terminal via the ramp stairs. All passengers have exited to customs in the International Arrivals Facility for regular processing. The aircraft has been removed from service for inspection, and maintenance.”
The Federal Aviation Administration:
- “Delta Air Lines Flight 604 landed safely at Seattle -Tacoma International Airport around 10 p.m. local time on Monday, May 6. While parked at the gate, the crew of the Airbus A321 reported a possible fire caused by the ground power unit. Passengers exited the aircraft using the emergency evacuation slides. Please contact the airline for more information.”