Indigo plane engine fire: A passenger describes the fire on the runway at Delhi Airport: “It was at full speed…”

New Delhi:

A passenger told NDTV that the Indigo plane that landed at Delhi airport due to a fire in its engine was “at full speed” in its escape when sparks appeared “just before takeoff”, and the pilot hit the brakes. “The flight was going to take off in another 5-7 seconds when I saw a spark going up… and suddenly it turned into a fire,” she said.

“Everyone is fine and is being evacuated,” she said around 11 p.m., as she and others got out about an hour and a half after the fire. She said she did not know why they were asked to stay on the plane after it was taken to the parking lot.

“The fire was put out immediately. There was panic at first. But the crew reassured us. There was no sudden shiver during the stop either.”

“We have been informed by the pilot that there is an engine failure,” said passenger Priyanka Kumar, a communications specialist at the scene. She said passengers have been informed that an alternative flight to Bengaluru has now been arranged.

There were 184 people on board – 177 passengers and seven crew members.

The alternate flight took off around midnight.

After she shared the first video of the fire, taken from her seat window, she gave a rough timeline: “The plane climbed onto the runway around 9.40pm, and the flames only started when it caught full speed, around 9.45pm.”

She added that extinguishers were used and a fire brigade entered immediately. “The crew gave water to the passengers. There were a lot of elderly people, a lot of children on the plane.”

She added, “The plane was taken to a parking lot, they told us. We went down the normal way down the stairs – one by one.” This was just after 11 p.m., when she said she had just gone out, as did the others.

Delhi Police said all passengers and crew were transported safely. There was no immediate word as to why people remained on the plane for nearly 90 minutes after the accident.

The airline issued a statement: “A plane operating flight 6E2131 from Delhi to Bangalore encountered a technical problem during takeoff, immediately after which the pilot aborted the take-off and the aircraft returned to the Gulf.”

She added, “All passengers and crew members are fine, and an alternative plane is being arranged to operate the flight. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers.”

Contributed by Mir Rifai.