A Delta Airlines flight from Edinburgh to New York was aborted by an ’emergency landing’ after the plane caught fire shortly after takeoff.
Delta flight DAL209 was diverted to begin an emergency landing at an airport in Prestwick, Scotland, shortly after taking off from the Scottish capital, as a burst of flames engulfed the commercial plane’s wing, reported the BBC. The in-flight combustion was attributed to “engine problems”.
A flight from Edinburgh to New York Delta made an emergency landing at Prestwick after flames were seen coming from one of the wings. A passenger described a “horrible” noise which “then died down to nothing as if the engines had gone”, saying there was gasping and crying. #HeartNews pic.twitter.com/uAmZyU0eq8
— Heart Scotland News (@HeartScotNews) February 10, 2023
Before the plane turned away to make the emergency landing, those on board heard a “loud noise”, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Massive whale-like plane Airbus Beluga struck by lightning moments after takeoff)
BBC Scotland News reporter Laura Pettigrew was one of the passengers on board and was quoted in the report as saying: ‘The plane took off and there was a loud engine noise, similar to the noise normally during the takeoff and landing, but it seemed to continue once we were in the air.
https://t.co/MIY5nDyl7Z Flight to New York forced to make emergency landing in Scotland – Videos from The Weather Channel
After an apparent mechanical problem caused an in-flight fire, a Delta Air Lines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Scotland. pic.twitter.com/fZH8Ax4Qha—James Wilson (@tornadokid3) February 12, 2023
The Delta crew was “incredible” and managed to keep “everyone calm”, the writer continued. (RELATED: Plane flies for 13 hours, lands at same airport it departed from)
“There was no real panic among the passengers, just confusion. However, some families with children were quite distressed,” the reporter said.
That said, the noise was so loud that subsequent Delta announcements on the speakerphone were inaudible, Pettigrew noted.
From there, the passengers noticed that the plane was beginning to land. Once it touched down, Scottish fire engines and hose-wielding firefighters rushed to the plane. (RELATED: Two dead after plane crashes into car dealership parking lot in Ohio)
“The pilots seemed to be doing a smooth job of getting us down safely. Apparently the cabin crew were preparing for a crash landing,” she continued.
The BBC writer explained that she only knew the plane was on fire after the emergency landing, learning of the incident by hearing others discuss the engulfment in fire at Scottish airport.
No passengers on board were injured.