Plane emergency at Miami International Airport
A plane carrying 126 people caught fire when its landing gear collapsed on the runway at Miami International Airport on Tuesday.
The dramatic incident took place when a Red Air flight arrived from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, said Miami-Dade aviation department spokesperson Greg Chin.
Three people received minor injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment, while the remaining passengers were bussed from the site of the accident to the terminal.
The plane was arriving from Santo Domingo around 5.30pm when the incident took place.
It appeared to have come to rest near a grassy area by the side of the runway.
Some flights were delayed due to the fire, airport officials said.
It’s a miracle more people were not hurt in crash, says aviation expert
Weighing in on the crash at Miami International Airport, aviation expert Scott Harrington told CBS News that it is a miracle that more people were not hurt in the plane crash.
“Absolutely, it seemed like… again I’m not exactly sure of the specifics of this flight… but it seemed like the pilots did a good job to keep it all in one piece. To get it stopped so the plane could be stopped in a position so rescue equipment can access the airplane,” he said.
Pilots are trained to be calm in such situations, he added.
“We are just hyper focused. Our brain goes into flight mode. We are focused on the problem, focused on taking care of the solution as much as we can. Sometimes if a mechanical part breaks, there’s really not a whole lot we can do.”
Namita Singh22 June 2022 06:38
Miami-Dade County mayor arrives at the scene
Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella Levine Cava was briefed by fire and rescue services personnel after she arrived at the scene of the crash.
“Apparently a tire burst, and then it went back up and came back down, and the landing was so hard that the entire landing apparatus was destroyed and the belly of the plane is on the ground,” Ms Cava told media as she confirmed that three people were injured in the crash.
Namita Singh22 June 2022 05:40
NTSB sending investigators to scene of crash on Wednesday
ICYMI: The National Transportation Safety Board said the aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 and it says it will send a team of investigators to the incident site on Wednesday.
Graeme Massie22 June 2022 04:57
What happened during the crash?
A jetliner carrying 126 people caught fire after landing Tuesday at Miami International Airport when the front landing gear collapsed, before coming to rest in a grassy area beside the runway.
The fire followed the collapse of that landing gear on a Red Air flight arriving from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesman Greg Chin said.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue posted on Twitter that fire crews had placed the fire under control and were mitigating fuel spillage.
The plane collided with several objects after it veered off the runway, including a crane tower and a small building in the area, reported News 7.
Namita Singh22 June 2022 04:55
‘I thought I was going to die’
Passengers share the horrifying experience as they recounted the crash landing of their plane at Miami International Airport.
“I thought I was going to die,” Paola Garcia told 7 News. “All the windows were broken, and someone like, broke his leg and arm,” she said adding that she ran to the exit as soon as the plane came to a stop and made her way to the tarmac as black smoke billowed. “I started running and I jumped, and I thought it was going to explode.”