A thick plume of black smoke poured from the plane's engine A British Airways plane bound for London has caught fire at Las Vegas airport, forcing the evacuation of 172 people on board on emergency slides. Airport officials said at least 14 people were taken to hospital with minor injuries. US Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the left engine of the Boeing 777-200 caught fire before take-off. The plane was seen engulfed in flames and smoke. The fire was later put out. In a statement, British Airways said the aircraft "experienced a technical issue as it was preparing for take-off". In a distress call the plane's captain asked for the airport's emergency services: "Speedbird Mayday Mayday. Speedbird 2276 request fire services." "Speedbird 2276 heavy, we are evacuating on the runway. We have a fire, repeat, we are evacuating," he adds British Airways plane catches fire in Las Vegas - BBC News
Scottish Daily Record Plane That Caught Fire in Vegas Was Accelerating for Takeoff New York Times LAS VEGAS — Officials released more details Wednesday on a dramatic British Airways airplane fire in Las Vegas as they investigate how an aircraft accelerating for takeoff could suddenly erupt into flames — or whether it could happen again. BA plane fire: captain who helped avert disaster was due to retire next weekThe Guardian British Airways plane catches fire at Las Vegas airport; 13 injuredCNN BA fire: Passengers describe terror on Las Vegas flightBBC News NBCNews.com -expressandstar.com all 1,465 news articles » Continue reading...
