(CNN) The right-side engine of an American Airlines Boeing 767 failed Friday during an attempted takeoff, sending debris as far as a half mile and passengers hurriedly down emergency slides onto a runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Three sources familiar with the unfolding investigation told CNN the General Electric engine suffered an apparent "uncontained" failure.

The 161 terrified passengers and nine crew members scrambled to safety Friday afternoon after huge flames erupted on the right side of the plane.

Airport fire Chief Timothy Sampey said crews responded to a report of a No. 2 engine on fire. The plane, which had stopped well before the end of the runway, had about 43,000 pounds of fuel.

"This could have been absolutely devastating if it happened later," he said.

About 20 people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries that occurred during the evacuation down the emergency slides, District Chief Juan Hernandez said. There were people with minor bruising or injured ankles, he said. None of the injuries were caused by the fire.

American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott said Flight 383 was bound for Miami when it aborted takeoff due to an engine-related issue.

The rare, but extremely serious, engine failure sent debris from the engine spewing across the south side of the expansive airfield. Part of the engine's fan disc were found a half mile away on a building used by UPS, two sources said.

A passenger who was sitting in the middle of row 31 said he heard a loud clunk, then saw a large ball of flame that he assumed came from the engine area. Gary Schiavone of DeMotte, Indiana, said the captain was able to stop the aircraft quickly, and then it was "coordinated chaos."

There wasn't much yelling or screaming, he told reporters, except passengers who shouted at others who were trying to grab their bags from the overhead bins. Schiavone said about 30 seconds into the evacuation, smoke started to pour into the cabin. The difficulty in breathing was the scariest part, he said.

Asked whether he was afraid he was going to die, Schiavone said, "Of course. I'm thinking the plane is going to blow up."

Schiavone complimented the crew for getting everyone out in what he estimated was about a minute.

Video tweeted by a witness on the ground showed an airliner with a large tower of smoke rising from the right side and flames billowing beneath the fuselage. The video showed passengers coming down two of the emergency slides on the 767's left side. A dog also evacuated, officials said.

Josiah Ryan, senior producer for Social TV at CNN, was aboard a flight landing at O'Hare. Shortly after their American Airlines flight landed, their captain told passengers over the loudspeaker, "We're near our gate, but there has been an accident on one of the runways."

Ryan said he saw emergency vehicles rush to the runway.

Four of the airport's runways were closed still late afternoon Friday, but that was not affecting airport operations, said Ginger Evans, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation.

Plane fire. Pics over 5 min time frame. pic.twitter.com/O5UyrCnKAA — Tzu Zen (@E86HotWheels) October 28, 2016

A helicopter for CNN affiliate WGN shot video of the plane sitting in the middle of a runway with a darkened right wing. More than a dozen emergency vehicles surrounded the jet for hours.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.

Other Boeing jets have been involved in runway incidents in the past 13 months.

A Boeing 777 taxiing for takeoff at Las Vegas International Airport in September 2015 aborted its takeoff roll to London when one of its two engines failed. The following month, passengers aboard a Dynamic Airways 767-200 were forced to evacuate because of a fuel leak that caused a fire while the aircraft was taxiing in Fort Lauderdale. Both incidents are still under investigation by the NTSB.</s>FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say a FedEx plane caught fire while landing at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Local news organizations report that the plane was arriving from Memphis on Friday and that its landing gear collapsed on the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration says the fire was put out.

No injuries were reported and FedEx issued a statement that the pilots were safe and that the company was cooperating with authorities.

Air traffic controllers in Fort Lauderdale issued a ground stop, and no flights were allowed to leave. The airport’s south runway reopened about 7 p.m., but the north runway remained closed for investigation.

Earlier Friday, eight people reported minor injuries after an American Airlines aircraft caught fire at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.</s>The airline said seven passengers and one flight attendant from the plane, a Boeing 767 bound for Miami, were taken to a hospital afterward for evaluation of minor injuries suffered in the incident.

An American Airlines spokeswoman said all the injuries were typical of those associated with evacuating a commercial airliner, such as muscle sprains, and that none involved burns or smoke inhalation.

There were no reports of fatalities.

American Airlines said in a statement that takeoff of the jet, Flight 383 with 161 passengers and nine crew members aboard, was aborted "due to an engine-related issue."

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was on a "takeoff roll on runway 28R" at O'Hare when "pilots reported that the aircraft blew a tire and aborted takeoff."

Neither the FAA nor the airline mentioned a fire.

But the Chicago Department of Aviation issued a statement saying the city fire department responded to an aircraft fire involving American Airlines Flight 383 and that the passengers were off the plane. It said no crash was involved.

Footage from Chicago's ABC News affiliate station, WLS-TV, showed an American Airlines jet on the ground with flames and large clouds of black smoke billowing from one side of the aircraft, which had its emergency slides deployed. Passengers milled about on the airfield watching the blaze as fire trucks poured water on the flames.

The incident forced the closure of two of the airport's runways.</s>CHICAGO — Authorities say an American Airlines plane caught fire and passengers evacuated on the runway at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Seven passengers and a flight attendant reported minor injuries after the aircraft caught fire and passengers were evacuated onto the runway at O’Hare.

American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott says the injured were taken to a hospital to be evaluated.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro says American Airlines Flight 383 departed Chicago for Miami on Friday afternoon when it blew a tire and damaged an engine. Molinaro says the pilot aborted takeoff and everyone evacuated.

Television reports showed a large plume of black smoke coming from the Boeing 767.

Scott said in a brief statement that the plane had “an engine-related mechanical issue.” Buses took 161 passengers and nine crew members from the runway to the terminal.

The Chicago Fire Department tweeted that it was responding to the scene.</s>No serious injuries were reported.

The takeoff of American Airlines Flight 383, a Boeing 767 bound for Miami with 161 passengers and a crew of nine, was prompted by an "engine-related issue," the airline said in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration cited a blown-out tire reported by the flight crew as the plane was rolling down the runway before takeoff was aborted.

Neither the FAA nor the airline mentioned a fire.

But footage from Chicago's ABC News affiliate station, WLS-TV, showed an American Airlines jet on the ground with flames and large clouds of black smoke billowing from one side of the aircraft, which had its emergency slides deployed. Passengers milled about watching the blaze as fire trucks poured water on the flames.

A video clip posted on Facebook by Hector Gustavo Cardenas, who was on the plane, shows passengers shouting at each other to hurry as they move down the aisle to the emergency exit slide.

"15 Seconds later would have been on the air and would have been a good bye..." he wrote on Facebook.

The Chicago Department of Aviation confirmed in a statement that the city fire department responded to an aircraft fire involving American Airlines Flight 383 and that the passengers were off the plane. It said no crash was involved.

The company said seven passengers and one flight attendant were taken to a hospital for evaluation of minor injuries.

An American Airlines spokeswoman said the injuries were typical of those associated with evacuating a commercial jet, such as muscle sprains, and that none involved burns or smoke inhalation.

The incident forced the closure of at least three of the airport's eight runways, the city Aviation Department said.

By about two hours after the incident, the airport had experienced 130 delays of departing flights and 170 inbound flights, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com

As the mishap unfolded, tower controllers at O'Hare began ordering inbound aircraft to abort their landing approaches and "go around," initially closing all runways so emergency vehicles could reach the stricken aircraft, according to audio recordings of the main tower frequency posted by the website liveatc.net.

Asked by the pilot of one inbound plane to explain the maneuver, a tower controller is heard saying: "Vehicles have rights to all the runways right now because an American engine burst into flame on the rollout," the tapes showed.

Operations later resumed on the north side of O'Hare airport, one of the world's busiest, according to web tracking sites and a live feed of tower conversations from liveatc.net.

In September last year, a British Airways jetliner engine caught fire in Las Vegas as the plane was about to take off for London, forcing all 172 passengers and crew to escape as smoke and flames engulfed the aircraft.</s>No serious injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred just hours before a similar, unrelated mishap in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the landing gear of a FedEx cargo plane collapsed, sparking a fire that was quickly extinguished.

The company later said the FedEx pilots were safe.

American Airlines Flight 383, a Boeing 767 bound for Miami with 161 passengers and a crew of nine, was headed down an O'Hare runway at about 2:30 p.m. CDT (1930 GMT) when the right-side engine of the twin-engine jet burst into flames, authorities said.

Footage from Chicago's ABC News affiliate station, WLS-TV, showed the idled plane on the ground with flames and large clouds of black smoke billowing from its right side and emergency slides deployed on the left side. Passengers milled about watching the blaze as fire trucks pumped water on the flames.

Timothy Sampey, assistant deputy fire commissioner for airport operations, said the mishap could have been much worse.

The plane was fully loaded with 43,000 pounds (19,504 kg)

of jet fuel, which was leaking when fire crews reached the jet, Sampey told a news conference later.

"So they had a heavy volume of fire on both the engine and the entire wing," he said. "This could have been absolutely devastating if it happened later."

Sampey confirmed the incident began with a fire in the left-side engine.

The Federal Aviation Administration initially said the pilot aborted takeoff after reporting a blown-out tire.

The airline said seven passengers and one flight attendant were taken to a hospital for evaluation of minor injuries.

Inside the aircraft after it came to a stop, frantic passengers shouted at each other to hurry while making their way down the aisle to an emergency exit slide, as seen in a video posted on Facebook by Hector Gustavo Cardenas, who was on the plane.

The incident forced the closure of at least three of the airport's eight runways, the city Aviation Department said.

By about two hours after the incident, the airport had experienced 130 delays of departing flights and 170 inbound flights, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com

As the mishap unfolded, tower controllers at O’Hare began ordering inbound aircraft to abort their landing approaches and “go around,” initially closing all runways so emergency vehicles could reach the stricken aircraft, according to audio recordings of the main tower frequency posted by the website liveatc.net.

Asked by the pilot of one inbound plane to explain the maneuver, a tower controller is heard on the recordings saying: “Vehicles have rights to all the runways right now because an American engine burst into flame on the rollout.”

Operations later resumed on the north side of O'Hare airport, one of the world’s busiest, according to web tracking sites and a live feed of tower conversations from liveatc.net.</s>CHICAGO — Flames and heavy black smoke poured from the side of an American Airlines jet that aborted takeoff and caught fire on the runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Friday, forcing 170 crew and passengers to evacuate and resulting in eight injuries, authorities said.

Pilots on American Airlines Flight 383 bound for Miami reported an engine-related mechanical issue, according to airline spokesman Leslie Scott. She said seven passengers and a flight attendant with minor injuries were taken to a hospital to be evaluated.

Footage from the scene showed the Boeing 767, which appeared to be damaged on its rear and along its right side, sitting on the runway with flames underneath and shooting from one side along with plumes of smoke. The right wing was drooping toward the ground and appeared to have partially melted.

Passengers came down emergency slides, hurrying across grass next to the runway as emergency vehicles surrounded the plane.

Buses were sent to pick up the passengers and bring them back to the terminal, the airline said. The passengers were to be placed on another flight to Miami on Friday evening.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating, said in a statement that the plane made an emergency stop around 2:35 p.m. after experiencing a problem during takeoff. An earlier FAA statement said the plane had blown a tire.

The National Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation into the incident, with investigators expected to arrive on the scene Friday evening, spokesman Keith Holloway said.

The Chicago Fire Department tweeted that there was an extra-alarm emergency response at the airport. Fire officials couldn't immediately be reached for further comment.</s>An American Airlines plane has caught fire on the runway of Chicago's O'Hare airport while taking off on Friday.

 The Boeing 767 bound for Miami blew a tyre and damaged an engine, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

 The pilot aborted the take-off and evacuated everyone on board via emergency chutes as black smoke billowed from the plane.

 City fire spokesman Larry Langford said 19 passengers and one flight attendant were taken to a hospital with minor injuries - such as bumps, bruises and sprained ankles - suffered in exiting the plane. There were no burns or cases of smoke inhalation.

 "We are taking care of our customers and crew members and are re-accommodating our passengers on another flight to Miami this evening," the American Airlines statement said.

 The incident took place at 14:35 local time (19:35 GMT).

 At 15:00, fire service officials announced that the fire was out.

 Meanwhile, a FedEx plane caught fire at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airport after its landing gear collapsed on landing, the FAA said; according to agencies.

 - TM [Read More]

 

 —–

 Source: The Financial Express</s>Airport fire Chief Timothy Sampey said crews responded to a report of a No. 2 engine on fire. The plane, which had stopped well before the end of the runway, had about 43,000 pounds of fuel on board.

"This could have been absolutely devastating if it happened later," he said.

About 20 people people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries that occurred during the evacuation down the emergency slides, District Chief Juan Hernandez said. There were people with minor bruising or injured ankles, he said. None of the injuries were caused by the fire.

American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott said 170 people -- including 161 passengers -- and one dog were on board Flight 383 bound for Miami when it aborted takeoff due to an engine-related mechanical issue.

A passenger who was sitting in the middle of row 31 said he heard a loud clunk, then saw a large ball of flame that he assumed came from the engine area. Gary Schiavone of DeMotte, Indiana, said the captain was able to stop the airline quickly, and then it was "coordinated chaos." There wasn't much yelling or screaming, he told reporters, except passengers who shouted at others who were trying to grab their bags from the overhead bins. Schiavone said about 30 seconds into the evacuation, smoke started to pour into the cabin. The difficulty in breathing was the scariest part, he said. Asked whether he was afraid he was going to die, Schiavone said, "Of course. I'm thinking the plane is going to blow up." Schiavone complimented the crew for getting everyone out in what he estimated was about a minute. Video tweeted by a witness on the ground showed an airliner with a large tower of smoke rising from the right side and flames billowing beneath the fuselage. The video showed passengers coming down two of the emergency slides on the 767's left side. Josiah Ryan, senior producer for Social TV at CNN, was aboard a flight landing at O'Hare. Shortly after their American Airlines flight landed, their captain told passengers over the loudspeaker, "We're near our gate, but there has been an accident on one of the runways." Ryan said he saw emergency vehicles rush to the runway. Four of the airport's runways were closed still late afternoon Friday, but that was not affecting airport operations, said Ginger Evans, the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation. A helicopter for CNN affiliate WGN shot video of the plane sitting in the middle of a runway with a darkened right wing. More than a dozen emergency vehicles surrounded the jet for hours. It was unclear how the fire started. Other Boeing jets have been involved in runway incidents in the 13 months. A Boeing 777 taxiing for takeoff at Las Vegas International Airport in September 2015 aborted its takeoff roll to London when one of its two engines failed. The following month, passengers aboard a Dynamic Airways 767-200 were forced to evacuate because of a fuel leak that caused a fire while the aircraft was taxiing in Fort Lauderdale. Both incidents are still under investigation by the NTSB.</s>Investigators were scouring Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Saturday after an engine caught fire on an American Airlines plane attempting to take off on Friday, as a source said a detached engine part had hit a nearby building, something the design should have prevented.

No serious injuries were reported in the incident, which crippled a Boeing 767 with 161 passengers and nine crew members aboard as it was departing for Miami and briefly closed all O’Hare’s runways.

The failure was so intense that a disk from the engine hit a building roof, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Jet engines are designed to keep parts within the outer cover as escaped shrapnel can tear through the cabin or rupture fuel tanks in the wings. Such “uncontained” failures therefore are extremely rare and National Transportation Safety Board officials were looking for clues as to whether the fault lay with the engine, with maintenance or a freak event such as debris on the runway entering the engine.

The General Electric engine that powered the plane was a workhorse model known as the CF6 introduced decades ago, GE spokesman Rick Kennedy told Reuters on Saturday. The American Airlines plane engine dates from the 1980s or 1990s, and had been serviced by the airline, he said.

American on Saturday declined to provide details about the aircraft, engine or maintenance, referring questions to the NTSB. The NTSB said it planned to release more details at a news conference later on Saturday at O’Hare.

Officials from GE Aviation, Boeing and American Airlines were on the scene at O’Hare assisting in the investigation, GE’s Kennedy said.

The CF6 was introduced in the 1970s and more than 4,000 are currently in service on seven different wide-body jetliner models, including the Boeing 747 and 767, and Airbus A300 and A330, according to GE. The engine has racked up more than 400 million flight hours and has a record of “industry-leading levels of reliability,” Kennedy said.

The O’Hare incident marks the third uncontained GE engine failure in little over a year, following a British Airways Boeing 777 in September 2015 and a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 in August. Both aircraft used different engines, the GE90 and CMF56, made by a joint venture of GE and Safran of France.

In a full-power ground test situation in 2006, an American Airlines 767 with GE CF6 engines suffered an uncontained failure, according to a summary produced by the Aviation Safety Network, a service of the Flight Safety Foundation, an international nonprofit based in Alexandria, Virginia.

The “rupture of the high pressure turbine stage 1 disk” was traced partly to inadequate GE design of the disk and poor FAA oversight of inspections, according to the summary.

The high pressure turbine of the CF6-80A engine used on the 767 has been cited in six regulatory actions by the Federal Aviation Authority since 1986, FAA records show. The most recent, in 2009, required airlines to remove an engine rotor within 30 days and reduced the allowed lifespan of an engine disk, conditions that could lead to cracks and uncontained engine failure, according to FAA records.
An American Airlines Boeing 767 catches fire after an aborted takeoff at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Seven passengers and one flight attendant were injured, and taken to area hospitals.