Ingrid Hibbitts was supposed to be headed to Argentina for a wedding on Thursday evening when her American Airlines flight turned into something “like a nightmare,” catching fire after engine problems forced an emergency landing at Denver International Airport.
Hibbitts, a Colorado Springs resident, and her family were among the 172 passengers and six crew who evacuated the burning Boeing 737-800 after authorities say the on the runway, sending people scrambling to escape onto the left wing and down slides and ladders as smoke and flames engulfed the right engine.
Twelve people were treated at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora for minor injuries and released, hospital officials said Friday.
Flight crew and passengers on Flight 1006 reported engine vibrations shortly after the plane took off from the Colorado Springs Airport at 4:52 p.m., according to the , flight tracking data and interviews with passengers.
The plane diverted from its route to at 5:14 p.m., Flight Aware tracking data shows, and people started getting nervous after crew members announced the plane was rerouting to Denver because of engine problems, Hibbitts said. The flight landed in Denver at 5:55 p.m.,
After what Hibbitts described as an abrupt and bumpy landing at DIA, some passengers spotted smoke and began to scream.
“I looked out of the window, and I saw flames from the window, and I saw the window start bubbling,” she said. “I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I hope the plane doesn’t blow up.’”
Passenger Han Levi told the Associated Press the cabin filled with black smoke as people crowded the exit, though Levi had to remain seated because a woman with disabilities was between her and the aisle.
As they waited for a wheelchair, Levi watched smoke and flames spitting from the wing just feet from her seat. People could be heard jostling to get off the plane in videos Levi took, with one person saying “orderly, orderly” and another saying “go, go.”
“I chose to stay calm,” said Levi, who said she tried not to breathe deeply to avoid inhaling the smoke.
The flight included older adults and families with young children, Hibbitts said. She was seated apart from her husband and two daughters and reunited with them on the tarmac.
Once on the ground, Hibbitts witnessed passengers being treated for smoke inhalation and other medical problems. As of Friday morning, her family had caught a plane to Dallas and were preparing to board another American Airlines flight to Miami.
“Honestly, I’m a little nervous. I’m telling myself to think logically,” Hibbitts said. “Nothing like this should happen. Someone should be looking out for the safety of all passengers at all times.”
DIA operations were mostly unaffected by the fire except for Gate C38, where the plane stopped. The gate was on track to be up and running Friday, airport spokesperson Michael Konopasek said.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident, and two federal investigators with expertise in commercial aircraft and powerplants were expected to arrive Friday to conduct interviews and gather data, the NTSB said.
A preliminary report will be available within 30 days while a final report with the cause of the fire and contributing factors will likely be published in one to two years, the agency said.
A replacement American Airlines aircraft transported affected passengers to Dallas on Friday morning, airline spokesperson Gianna Urgo said.
“We thank our crew members, DEN team and first responders for their quick and decisive action with the safety of everyone on board and on the ground as the priority,” American Airlines said in a statement.
The country has seen a stoking fears about air travel, though flying remains a very safe mode of transport.
Engine fires are rare, and crews trained to deal with them, aviation expert Steven Wallace said. They typically are not catastrophic even if they occur in the air because planes can fly with a single engine, he said.
“A pilot going to work for an airline today could likely fly for 30 years and never experience an engine failure,” said Wallace, a former director of the FAA’s accident investigations office.
Two engine fires made news in recent weeks: a fire on a United Airlines flight Feb. 2 as it was preparing to take off from Houston and a March 1 fire on a FedEx cargo plane that made an emergency landing in New Jersey following a bird strike.
Former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman James Hall said the reported engine vibrations on the American flight were unusual but a slew of problems could have caused them and a fire, making it difficult to speculate on.
The plane was built in 2012 with an engine from CFM International. Boeing declined comment, and CFM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
