Terrifying footage has emerged showing panic-stricken passengers on an American Airlines flight frantically evacuating onto the wing as jet fuel set ablaze. The dramatic scene unfolded on flight 1006, with horrified travellers seen perched precariously on the plane’s wing, while emergency services feverishly tackled the flames at Denver International Airport, Terminal C.
Social media was awash with shocking images of intense flames devouring one of the engines and ominous plumes of smoke enveloping the aircraft. Claims abounded that a serious fire had erupted due to ignited jet fuel.
Denver’s airport confirmed the fire incident involving American Airlines at gate C38 on Thursday evening, revealing there was « visible smoke. »
Passengers were ushered off the wings using evacuation slides, the airport authority stated: « Passengers were evacuated and the slides were deployed. »
Alexandria Cullen, a press aide for Colorado’s Congressman Gabe Evans, posted on social media about her mother’s harrowing experience aboard the stricken aircraft, providing video evidence of the desperate scramble to escape amidst suffocating smoke layers cloaking the airliner.
In her social media reveal, Cullen exclaimed: « American Airlines flight 4012 caught fire after an engine failed…. Plane was diverted to Denver. My mom was on this flight. THANK YOU GOD that they are alive. »
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement: « American Airlines Flight 1006 diverted to and landed safely at Denver International Airport around 5:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, March 13, after the crew reported engine vibrations.
« After landing and while taxiing to the gate an engine caught fire and passengers evacuated the aircraft using the slides. The Boeing 737-800 departed Colorado Springs Airport and was headed to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for additional information. »
This unsettling scenario is just one incident in a recent wave of aviation mishaps that are shaking public confidence , reports the Mirror.. A grim series of events including urban plane crashes, uncontrolled fires, and a vanished aircraft from Nome, Alaska have alarmed citizens across America, leading them to question the safety of air travel.
Despite these nerve-wracking incidents, industry stalwarts are defending air travel’s track record. Following a spate of alarming accidents culminating in tragic loss of life, two seasoned safety analysts assured the Mirror of the sector’s security.
Nevertheless, as they stride onto flights today, some admit that the string of recent tragedies warrants attention. Dr. Daniel Adjekum, with an impressive resume that includes more than twenty years focused on aviation safety, accident investigations, and pilot training, warns against complacency.
« This is not a time to be cutting stuff and to be laying people off, » he said.
Echoing these sentiments about the need for urgent improvements, Dr. Hassan Shahidi of the Flight Safety Foundation signals the crucial demand for heightened safety measures within the aerospace domain.
In a bombshell announcement by the Associated Press, it has been disclosed that air traffic controllers received emails encouraging them to take severance packages—a Trump-era policy continued under Elon Musk‘s team to slash federal spending by downsizing staff and sometimes closing whole departments.
Dr. Shahidi commented on the state of American aviation, emphasising: « I think when we look at our system fundamentally, there isn’t anything wrong with the air transportation system in the U.S. That said, there are concerns and we can talk about those concerns – but generally, in 2024 we had a billion people travel by air in the U.S. Thousands of airplanes depart and land every day, with trained pilots and air traffic controllers who are doing their jobs well. But that said, there are concerns. »
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