The FAA is investigating after an engine fire resulted in passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight evacuating down emergency slides onto the tarmac at Orlando International Airport this morning (local time).
The completely full Airbus A330 plane had just departed its gate to fly to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when a fire was reported in one of the two engines, according to statements from the Federal Aviation Administration and Delta Air Lines.
A large ball of orange flames was seen coming out of the right engine on cell phone video captured by Dylan Wallace, a passenger in the terminal.
“We are calling the fire trucks right now, we see that,” a controller noted on audio recorded by the website Broadcastify.
Emergency responders were then cleared to go to the plane.
After earlier saying there were 200 passengers on board, the airline updated the count to 282 in a statement.
“Delta flight crews followed procedures to evacuate the passenger cabin when flames in the tailpipe of one of the aircraft’s two engines were observed,” the airline said.
No passengers were reported injured.
“We appreciate our customers’ cooperation and apologize for the experience. Nothing is more important than safety and Delta teams will work to get our customers to their final destinations as soon as possible,” the airline said.
