O'Hare Plane Fire: Panicked Passengers Flee Jet As Flames Engulf Engine

CHICAGO, IL — A Miami-bound American Airlines plane blew a tire and caught fire Friday on the runway at O'Hare International Airport, according to the FAA. Seven passengers and a flight attendant suffered minor injuries, the airline reports.

The tire on American Airlines Flight 383 blew out during takeoff at about 2:35 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration reports. Takeoff was aborted, and the cabin of the plane — a 767 — was evacuated as black smoke billowed from the aircraft, according to the agency.

The more than 170 passengers and crew members were bused back to the terminal, and the passengers were being booked on other flights to Miami, according to American Airlines. The injured individuals were taken to a nearby hospital to be evaluated and treated, the airline reported.

Emergency crews from the Chicago Fire Department responded to the scene. During a press conference, CFD officials said as many as 20 people suffered minor injuries and were hospitalized, according to NBC5 Chicago. It was unclear whether those individuals were passengers on the plane, firefighters or other people on the ground.

The fire shut down a runway at O'Hare, and an investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board continues to keep it closed, causing flight delays.

Videos and photos are being tweeted from the airport and from passengers aboard other planes showing a jet engine fully engulfed in flames and a huge smoke plume billowing into the sky.

Heat from the flames also appeared to melt parts of the aircraft, including the right wing, passenger Sarah Ahmed told WLS-TV as she described the scene inside the cabin:

"We were almost up in the air. We were full throttle, full speed ahead and then we heard this huge bang and there's fire at the window. And so everyone on the right side of the plane got up, jumped up, and they're now on the left side of the plane. So there's a stampede at the left side. …

"People are yelling, 'Open the door, open the door!' Everyone's screaming and jumping on top of each other to open the door. Within that time, I think it was seven seconds, there was now smoke in the plane, and the fire is right up against the windows, and it's melting the windows."

A video posted to Facebook by one of the flight's passengers shows the 767 cabin being evacuated. A YouTube video also shows passengers and crew members descending an inflatable slide to escape the fire.

WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language.

UPDATED (4:31 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28)

Patch will continue to update this story.

American Airlines Flight 838 catches fire after blowing a tire Friday, Oct. 28, at O'Hare International Airport. (photo via screen capture of video by Creators Studio | YouTube)

Like What You're Reading? Stay Patched In!

• Like our Crime page on Facebook
• Live Traffic and Transit Updates