[The Guardian] – A plane caught on fire on the runway of Fort Lauderdale’s Hollywood International airport on Thursday.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the plane as a Boeing 767 operated by Dynamic Airways en route to Caracas, Venezuela. It was taxiing for departure around 12:45pm when the aircraft behind it on the runway reported that fuel was leaking, the FAA said.
“The left engine caught fire on departure,” said Alan Siegel in an interview on CBS news. The fire was quickly extinguished.
Mike Jachles, a spokesman for the Broward Sheriff’s Office, said “at least three” passengers were taken to hospital with apparently minor injuries sustained while evacuating the aircraft.
“We have several people complaining of injuries. They’re being evaluated right now,” he said. “There will be at least three people transported to area hospitals, I don’t have the degree of the severity of their injuries but we have adequate resources here. We have additional rescue units coming and those people are being treated and transported by our units.
Jachles added that the airport had a “full complement” of rescue equipment and fire-fighting personnel. “They train for incidents just like this,” he said.
“The goal is to minimise the risk, mitigate the hazard and take care of anybody that’s injured.”
Airport authorities announced that the entire airport would be closed until further notice. It was unclear how many passengers were aboard the plane; depending on its configuration, the 767 can hold between 181 and 375 people, according to the company.
OB you planned on living forever? Ita more safe than that mini but you travel in more safe than that taxi you take so stop it man. U will die one way or another.
This is the same airline that has been operating in and out of Guyana but not without its own share of setbacks and problems. These included passengers boarding a flight for New York but landing in Connecticut and then transported by bus to JFK. Likewise, there was a case of them being flown from Guyana to JFK but instead landing in Fort Lauderdale and then being placed onto onward flights to JFK or in some cases- reportedly being placed upon Greyhound buses to New York.
They were also in the national news about two weeks ago playing up their commitment to flying out fruits, vegetables, frozen seafood and so forth to the Guyana diaspora in Region 11.
The GAA must commence their own inspections of all Dynamic Airways aircraft operating in and out of Timehri to ensure that they are in full compliance with all relevant ICAO guidelines to which Guyana is signatory to.
As I blogged on a few occasions I had one flight with Dynamic and all was well – but this incident will make me decide to make that flight my first and last!