ATLANTA — Passengers onboard a Delta plane were forced to use slides to get off the plane Friday morning after the pilot aborted takeoff.
People on Delta Flight 2668 were already concerned about the snow and ice before take-off but Channel 2’s Tom Jones learned that they ended up having to worry about something even more serious -- an engine fire.
The pilots noticed something wrong during take-off.
“Fricking engine caught on fire,” one passenger said in viewer video sent to Channel 2 Action News on Friday.
That passenger was among 200 others were evacuated from the flight after the engine caught fire.
The flight headed to Minneapolis evacuated right on the tarmac by using the emergency inflatable slides after pilots radioed in saying they were having trouble during take-off.
Pilot: “Delta 2668, we’re aborting.”
Tower: “Delta 2668, Roger. Do you require any assistance?”
Pilot: “2668. Roll the trucks please.”
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The pilot reported he thought the aircraft had engine failure.
The tower said ground crews didn’t see any fire. That’s when you hear a voice correct the tower.
Crew: “Negative. There is flames coming out the back of engine No. 2.”
That was enough for the pilot.
“Pilot: Alright. We’re going to evacuate on the runway.”
Channel 2 Action News obtained video of passengers preparing to board a shuttle to get out of the cold and snow.
Two people were emotional while hugging.
“Everybody had to stop. Nobody could move because of that emergency,” one passenger said.
One passenger said her flight was already delayed because of the snow, and then everyone on her flight heard about the Delta incident.
“We just saw all the ambulances and everything. And we heard that they had to evacuate. And some of them had to literally slide out of the plane,” the passenger said.
She said she was stuck on her plane for four hours and now she is stuck here in Atlanta.
“This is ruining everything,” the passenger said.
An airport spokesperson says four people suffered minor injuries with one person transported and three others treated at the scene.
Delta would not confirm those injuries. The airport said this incident and the snow delayed operations there.
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