VIDEO. “Pilots detected smoke”: big scare for nearly 200 passengers on a plane, the plane catches fire on the tarmac

Un avion de Frontier Airlines à Philadelphie le 18 mai 20211. (ILLUSTRATION) MAXPPP – Arnaud Beinat

Ce samedi 5 octobre 2024, un Airbus A321 a pris feu en plein vol et a dû effectuer un atterrissage d’urgence à Las Vegas. Par chance, le pire a été évité.

Passengers and pilots on a Frontier Airlines plane had a big scare. The plane, which had taken off from San Diego and was supposed to go to Las Vegas, had a serious problem. As it landed at Harry Reid Airport, the plane caught fire on the tarmac, reports NBC News.

More fear than harm

But the incident is said to have started shortly before arriving in Nevada. “Pilots detected smoke and declared an emergency”,the airline explained to the American television channel.

Due to the problem, the pilots of the Airbus A321 had to make an emergency landing on the tarmac in Las Vegas, and therefore made a "hard landing", then the firefighters intervened to put out the fire. Images of the flames were captured and shared on social networks. It shows the plane slowing down on the runway, with flames underneath the plane followed by thick smoke.

A total of 190 passengers were on board, but the rescue of the latter went well. "Clark County Fire Department responded immediately and all passengers and crew were transported by bus to the terminal. “No injuries were reported,” said the airport spokesperson, quoted by BFMTV.