Social Media Catches Possible Engine Fire at JFK
Joe Cortez February 10, 2017
Two users share their experiences watching aircraft engine burst into flames.
Investigators are trying to understand what caused an Argentina Airlines flight to send off a shower of sparks before takeoff, as shared in a viral picture and video on social media. New York NBC affiliate WNBC-TV reports the flight takeoff was aborted after the pilot reported a fire in one of the engines.
The Argentina Airlines flight was destined for Buenos Aires, departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, when the incident took place. The pilot reported to air traffic controllers a fire in one of the aircraft’s engines. However, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said firefighters could not find any definitive evidence of a fire in the engine.
Pictures and videos distributed by at least three social media users show a different story. Alice Zhang, a passenger on another flight at JFK, tweeted a picture of the Argentina Airlines aircraft when the incident began, showing sparks and light coming out of the left engine of the aircraft.
The photo was corroborated by another social media user, Renee Marcus, who snapped two photos of the aircraft. One depicts a glow underneath the engine, while another shows a firetruck rushing to help the aircraft.
Argentinian musician Axel had a front row seat to the entire ordeal, posting a video to his Twitter account. The video shows the aircraft before takeoff, followed by loud noises and the video going to black.
Estamos todos bien! Estaba filmando despegue explotó y se prendió fuego el motor dl avión. Muy bien manejada la situación x la tripulación. pic.twitter.com/4VoxSi075E
— Axel (@AxelOficial) February 10, 2017
According to WNBC, there were no injuries aboard the aircraft. The situation remains under investigation.
[Photo: @alicexz/Twitter]
