A Delta Air Lines Boeing aircraft had to be emergency evacuated in Atlanta on Friday morning after one of the jet’s engines caught on fire, forcing the pilot to abort takeoff halfway down the runway, leaving four passengers with minor injuries.
More than 200 people aboard the Boeing 757 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had to exit the plane via inflatable emergency slides that deployed from the aircraft an “engine issue,” airline officials told CNN.
Shocking videos taken by witnesses and passengers who evacuated show people sliding out of the jet and running across the snowy tarmac:
Emergency Evacuation in @atlantaairport_ @Delta this morning! Ground stop! What happened? Why the secrecy? No media? @CBSNews @abcnews @CNN @FoxNews #Aviation #safety #Avgeeks #Passenger #travel@ pic.twitter.com/3pkYvRaZtY
— Karlene Petitt (@KarlenePetitt) January 10, 2025
🇺🇸 Meanwhile at Atlanta Airport
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) January 10, 2025
Your daily dose of ‘things going wrong with planes’ as passengers are evacuated off this Delta Flight with reports of injuries. pic.twitter.com/zvzhRCw9RG
One passenger took to X to say that the engine caught “fire on takeoff,” and thanked staff for helping travelers to exit the plane during the “terrifying” incident:
What do you do when your flight out of Atlanta has its engine catch fire on take off?
— Bad Bear (@BadBearGamer) January 10, 2025
EMERGENCY EVACUATION@Delta - Thankful for the incredible staff and quick exit from the plane. But this was TERRIFYING…I have no words. pic.twitter.com/rSDP7g2UCf
Audio from the airport’s Air Traffic Control tower confirmed that flames and smoke were coming out of the plane, prompting an emergency evacuation of everyone on board:
ATC audio of Atlanta Airport Ops confirming flames coming out the back of Delta Flt DL2668 number 2 engine after a rejected and the pilot advises they are evacuating on the runway. Runway 09 Left and 09 right are currently closed because of the emergency.
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) January 10, 2025
Audio via @liveatc… https://t.co/XDiqfsdThu pic.twitter.com/QHZmri9CmD
“On takeoff, something went wrong and engine caught fire,” passenger Curtis James told CNN. “Had to emergency evacuate the plane.”
“Delta’s flight crew followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff of flight 2668 from Atlanta (ATL) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) after an indication of an engine issue,” the airline said in a statement to the outlet, without mentioning a fire.
Flight tracking data obtained by the publication shows that the plane aborted takeoff about halfway down the runway at about 9:10 a.m.
“Four passengers are reporting minor injuries; one was transported, the remaining three were treated on scene,” airport officials said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) told CNN that it is “monitoring the event,” but “has not initiated an official investigation at this time.”