ENGINE ERUPTION

Plane Bursts Into Flames Moments Before Takeoff

A blowtorch-like blast of fire erupted from the left engine of a LATAM Airlines aircraft.

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A passenger plane erupted into flames moments before takeoff at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Callao, near Lima, Peru, on Monday. Fire engulfed parts of the aircraft’s wing and landing gear after a blowtorch-like blast flared from the left engine of the LATAM Airlines aircraft. Videos show thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Footage from inside the Boeing 767 shows the blaze raging against the windows as passengers sat inside. Flight LA2302 was scheduled to fly to Piura in northern Peru. Firefighters raced to extinguish the fire as people remained trapped on board. Once they stopped the blaze, crews evacuated passengers. No one was injured, and the cause of the fire remains unknown. LATAM called the emergency an “unexpected technical event.” The incident comes days after another LATAM Airlines flight departing from Jorge Chávez International Airport experienced an in-flight technical issue that caused the aircraft to rapidly plunge 10,000 feet. The Brazil-bound plane safely returned to Lima after the sharp descent caused the oxygen masks to drop.