Passengers onboard a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 were evacuated from the airplane via emergency slides at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport on Friday morning after a reported engine fire just as the plane was accelerating for takeoff.
The pilots of the 21-year-old aircraft received an “indication of an engine issue” as Delta flight DL-2668 was speeding along the runway and immediately performed an emergency stop before ordering an evacuation onto the tarmac.
A spokesperson for Delta Air Lines has confirmed that there were 201 passengers onboard, along with four flight attendants and two pilots. Delta initially reported no one was injured but a spokesperson for Atlanta Airport later said that four people sustained minor injuries, one of whom was transported to the hospital.
Dramatic eyewitness video shows firefighters spraying the starboard engine as passengers are still evacuating the plane via the emergency slides into the icy ground below.
“Delta’s flight crew followed established procedures to suspend takeoff of flight 2668 from Atlanta to Minneapolis-St. Paul after an indication of an engine issue,” the airline said in a statement.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience. Our focus is to address their immediate needs and get them to their destinations safely,” the statement continued.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would be investigating the circumstances of Friday’s incident.
“The crew of Delta Air Lines Flight 2668 aborted takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 9:05 a.m. local time on Friday, Jan. 10, due to a reported engine issue,” the agency said in an emailed statement.
“Passengers exited the aircraft on the runway. The FAA will investigate.”
The agency has also issued a ground stop for all Delta departures to Atlanta Hartsfield for most of Friday. According to Flight Aware, the airline currently has around 10% of its planned schedule on Friday due to severe winter weather impacting its home base.
That number is, however, expected to rise dramatically as Friday wears on.
All eyes will be on whether Delta can keep track of its aircraft and flight crews to prevent a repeat of the Crowdstrike meltdown last July when the airline struggled to return to normal operations, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded.
