A Delta 767 at JFK
A Delta Air Lines flight en route from Edinburgh to New York was forced to make an emergency landing on Friday just minutes after takeoff when a passenger noticed flames coming out of one of the jet’s wings.
The Boeing 767-300 operating as Delta Flight 209 pushed back from the gate from Edinburgh Airport at 10:51 a.m. local time and took off at 11:01 a.m. The pilot declared an emergency and made landed the plane at Glasgow-Prestwick Airport at 11:31 a.m., some 25 minutes after takeoff, where it was met by a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crew.
“Operations Control mobilized four appliances to the site, where firefighters remain working to support their partners,” a spokesman for the fire service said.
The airline confirmed the incident.
“Delta flight 209 from Edinburgh to New York-JFK safely diverted to Glasgow Prestwick Airport,” a spokesman said. “We apologize to our customers for this inconvenience and are working to get them to their final destinations via Edinburgh.”
A video taken from inside the cabin by a passenger shows fire emanating from the location of the engine under the right wing.
A BBC Scotland journalist who was on the flight said she heard a loud bang just before the aircraft began to change course.
“The plane took off and there was a loud engine noise, similar to the noise normally during take-off and landing, but it seemed to continue once we were in the air,” Laura Pettigrew told BBC News. “When the plane touched down we could see fire trucks and firefighters with hoses rushing towards us.”
While the plane landed safely, passengers voiced frustration at the lack of follow-up by the airline afterwards, taking to social media to complain.
One passenger, Derek Smith, said that “the experience on the ground” had been “a mess” after the emergency landing, he wrote on Twitter Friday evening.
“We have no idea what the ongoing travel plans are, and your ‘help’ and ‘contact’ pages have been no help, with no one to contact as we do not have US mobile numbers,” he added. “From leaving the plane at 1140 we have had no communication from any Delta representatives.”
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
