Engine of Boeing passenger plane bursts into flames during takeoff
A Delta aircraft was forced to turn around straight after take-off when one of its engines caught fire.
Video footage of the Boeing 767 taking to the skies showed flames burst out of a left engine.
The flight on Friday morning, which was bound for Atlanta in Georgia, circled and returned safely to Los Angeles airport.
Once on the ground, emergency services attended to the diverted aircraft and safely put out the blaze.
The jet involved was 24 and a half years old and was first delivered to the airline in November 2000.
According to one passenger who was travelling on the plane, the flight was more than one hour late leaving LAX due to maintenance issues.
Mother-of-three Constance Bingham Smith said the incident was ‘the scariest flight situation I’ve ever been in’.
She added: ‘Glad to be safe in LA with kiddos and must have a purpose in staying, but will replay this ordeal in my head for quite some time.’
Another passenger on the flight said that everyone stayed calm during the incident despite ‘internal panic’.
She wrote: ‘I couldn’t see the smoke or fire but some people saw it. It was really scary for those 10 minutes! Everyone remained very calm, even if we were internally panicking. Very thankful to be on land now!’
Another respondent posted that their daughter and her husband were on the flight, but had no idea that the engine had ignited until they were safely on the tarmac.
He said: ‘The flight crew was exceptional and clam the whole time. Kudos to all of them for the safe return of all on board.’
Engine fires can be a result of several factors, including fuel leaks, ingestion of foreign objects such as debris or birds, and disruptions to airflow.
A spokesperson for the airline told the BBC: ‘Delta flight 446 returned to Los Angeles shortly after departure following an indication of an issue with the aircraft’s left engine.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.