On October 28, an American Airlines 767-300 departing from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) had its right engine suddenly catch fire, and smoke billowed across the airport. All passengers were evacuated. With smartphones now everywhere, a large amount of video footage from this incident surfaced, so we’re sharing it here.
The right engine suddenly caught fire during takeoff, and the cause is still disputed. The pilots immediately stopped the aircraft, smoke flowed into the cabin, and passengers scrambled to escape. Below are first-person evacuation videos from a passenger perspective.
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Another video from an external perspective.
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Safety Tips
Thankfully, no one was injured in this incident, but some passengers still tried to carry baggage off the plane. It may not happen more than once in a lifetime, but we still want to remind everyone: do not attempt to bring baggage with you during an evacuation. Bags can delay your escape and can also damage the evacuation slides.
You may see people desperately grabbing computers; that is understandable, since laptops often hold important files. Losing a year’s worth of lab data would be a huge loss. So we recommend backing up your data regularly to avoid losing it. You can use Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, and Google Drive to back up your files. Dropbox paid plans (with much more storage than the free version) have even had an AMEX Offer before. If your data is backed up, you can focus on escaping safely if something happens. This not only helps in incidents like this one but also protects you from data loss in other situations.
When on a plane, take note of the nearest emergency exits. If you have elite airline status, don’t forget to choose a seat near an exit with extra space. Beyond comfort, that extra room might make the difference in a critical moment.
The wing appears to have melted from the heat. It was basically a total loss. The forward cargo area is at the front of the fuselage and likely was not affected.
A similar incident: Singapore Airlines SQ368. Its engine fire was less severe, and passengers were not evacuated (was that a mistake?).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FlXCwmtPSw&feature=emb_logo
What do you think?