The Federal Aviation Association is investigating a possible engine fire after visible flames forced crews to cancel takeoff of an American Airlines flight in Charlotte Thursday evening, officials said.
The Airbus A321 (reg. N980UY) was taxiing while passengers sat inside Flight 2288 — which was supposed to be headed to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.
The flames continued for about 10 minutes until the fire department reached the plane, said passenger Frankie Leggington, 19, who shared video footage with The Charlotte Observer.
Once passengers were cleared to leave the plane, the pilot came over the loud speaker to give props to the passengers for staying so calm, according to Leggington. If the plane had been flying, the whole side of the plane could have blown out, the pilot said, according to Leggington.
“American Airlines flight 2288, with service from Charlotte (CLT) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), returned to the gate before takeoff after reporting a mechanical issue. The aircraft taxied safely to the gate under its own power and was taken out of service for maintenance. We never want to disrupt our customer’s travel plans and apologize for the trouble this may have caused,” according to a statement from the airline.
