
Passengers Flee as Wing Fire Forces Emergency Evacuation
In a frightening incident that adds to a week of aviation emergencies, a United Airlines flight bound for New York erupted in flames during takeoff at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Sunday, forcing an emergency evacuation amid passengers’ panicked cries for help.
“Please, please, please, get us out of here,” one terrified passenger could be heard pleading in video footage that captured the harrowing moments as flames burst from the aircraft’s wing during taxiing.
The flight, carrying 104 passengers and five crew members, was immediately evacuated with no reported injuries, according to the Houston Fire Department (HFD). “HFD’s Airport Rescue Firefighters are assisting at @iah after a departing plane reported an issue on the runway. HFD assisted in deboarding the plane. No injuries have been reported at this time,” the department confirmed in a social media statement.
String of aviation incidents raises concerns
This incident comes amid a troubling series of aviation accidents across the United States. Just two days earlier, on Friday night, a Learjet 55 crashed near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia, resulting in seven fatalities, including all passengers aboard and one person on the ground, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker confirmed.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, an American Airlines aircraft collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington’s Reagan National Airport, plunging both aircraft into the Potomac River. U.S. authorities report that all 67 people involved are feared dead.
Investigation underway
United Airlines officials have yet to release detailed information about the cause of Sunday’s fire. Aviation authorities are expected to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident, which could have resulted in a far more serious outcome had it not been for the swift response of emergency personnel.