(Daily360.com) A Delta plane caught fire on the tarmac shortly after arriving in Seattle from Cancun, Mexico. The landing was completely safe without any issues, but the plane ignited after being attached to the airport’s electrical system. The electrical plug shorted out and started to flicker before a fire was ignited below the cockpit.
The pilots asked the staff to roll out the emergency slides after they started to smell the smoke. Passengers on the plane started to panic after receiving notification that they would be doing an emergency evacuation. They moved out to the wings of the plane and rode down the inflatable slides to get safely to the tarmac.
About one-third of the passengers had exited via the standard loading bridge before the emergency evacuation was initiated. The rest of the 189 passengers exited via the plane wings and inflatable slides. The plane has been removed from service until it receives a full inspection. The electrical system where the plane caught fire has been repaired and is now working as expected.
Delta is still researching to determine the cause of the fire, but doesn’t believe it was a plane malfunction. The plane in question was less than two years old. Delta officials are investigating the ground power unit as the potential cause of the unexpected fire.
Delta Airlines had another incident that occurred at a Cleveland airport when the wing of the Delta plane made contact with a parked Spirit Airlines plane. Passengers were boarding the Spirit aircraft while the Delta plane was preparing for takeoff. Both aircraft deboarded the passengers and made alternative arrangements, which caused delays of several hours. No explanation was provided for the cause of the impact and no passengers or crew members were injured during the minor collision. Delta apologized for the inconvenience that was caused.
Spirit Airlines explained that the airplane was removed from service and will undergo a full inspection before being used again.
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