- All 178 people on board were able to evacuate -airline
- Six passengers taken to hospital for evaluation -airline
- Flight had diverted after crew reported engine vibrations -FAA
- FAA says it will investigate the incident
WASHINGTON — An American Airlines AAL.O jet’s engine caught fire after it diverted to land in Denver on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of passengers using the plane’s slides, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The airline said all 172 passengers and six crew members on board had been able to exit the plane, though six passengers were taken to a local hospital afterward for further evaluation.
American Airlines Flight 1006 from Colorado Springs on a Boeing BA.N 737-800 landed in Denver around 5:15 p.m. local time (2315 GMT), diverting from its planned destination of Dallas after the crew reported engine vibrations, the FAA said.
Several dramatic videos of passengers standing on the wing of the plane before evacuating as smoke poured out the engine were posted on social media.
American Airlines said the plane had landed safely and taxied to the gate when it experienced an “engine-related issue.“
The plane, which is 13 years old according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, was equipped with two CFM56 engines manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture between GE GE.N and Safran SAF.PA.
The FAA said it would investigate the incident. A Denver International Airport spokesperson said the fire had been extinguished and flight operations had continued as normal.
Boeing declined to comment, referring queries to American Airlines and investigators. GE did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The engine fire is the latest in a series of high-profile aviation incidents that have raised questions about U.S. aviation safety, including the January 29 mid-air collision of an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people.
Last month, a Delta Air Lines DAL.N regional jet flipped upside down upon landing at Canada’s Toronto Pearson Airport, amid windy weather following a snowstorm, injuring 18 of the 80 people on board, though all passengers and crew members survived the incident.
READ: Delta plane flips upside down on landing at Toronto airport, injuring 18
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom and Delta CEO Ed Bastian on Tuesday cited recent air crashes and weather events as contributing factors to dampening U.S. travel demand, alongside mounting economic uncertainty.
—Reporting by David Shepardson and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Additional reporting by Dan Catchpole in Seattle, Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago and Lisa Barrington in Seoul; Editing by Jamie Freed