On Sunday, a United Airlines flight was forced to evacuate after the aircraft caught on fire during takeoff at the George Bush Intercontinental.
The “engine issue” was caught on video shared with Fox 26 Hourston, which shows flames bursting out of one of the plane’s wings as passengers rushed to evacuate.
In the clip, you can hear a flight attendant asking passengers to remain in their seats, to which someone shouted back, “NO, it’s on fire!”
🚨#BREAKING: Numerous passengers were evacuated after United Airlines plane after it caught fire during takeoff
A United Airlines flight from Houston to New York was evacuated after an engine fire forced the crew to abort takeoff, according to the FAA.… pic.twitter.com/bfoYcALkjW
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 2, 2025
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Passengers were ultimately forced to use stairs and the emergency slide to get off of the plane, according to the Houston Fire Department. A separate video shows passengers waiting on the tarmac after evacuating.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported as a result of the incident. The Houston Fire Department told Fox 26 that they did not have to put out the fire, suggesting that aircraft safety mechanisms help up.
The jet, an Airbus A319, was preparing to fly to LaGuardia Airport in New York at the time of the incident. 104 passengers and five crew members were onboard at the time, all of whom were safely evacuated.
The FAA is currently investigating the fire, and the cause of the malfunction is not known as of this report.
The agency announced, “During takeoff, United flight 1382 received an indication about one engine and halted the takeoff while still on the runway. Passengers deplaned on the runway via a combination of slides and stairs and were bused to the terminal. There are no reported injuries at this time. We have lined up a different aircraft to take customers to their destination at 12:30 p.m. CT.”
Seems like not a great time to be flying, if you ask me.