Passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight had to use slides to deplane onto the runway at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday. Four people suffered minor injuries and one was hospitalized.
At around 9:10 a.m., the plane canceled its takeoff, and passengers exited the aircraft using inflatable emergency slides before being taken to a concourse, Atlanta airport officials said on social media. Three of the four injured people were treated on site, while the fourth was transported for medical treatment. Officials didn’t say what type of injuries they suffered.
There were 201 passengers, five flight attendants and two pilots on board, reported NBC News.
Delta Air Lines Flight 2668 deplaned due to a reported engine issue, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency is investigating the incident.
“On takeoff, something went wrong and the engine caught fire. Had to emergency evacuate the plane,” passenger Curtis James told CNN.
Operations at the airport were affected by snow and other wintry precipitation. In total, 1,505 flights were canceled and 433 were delayed at the Atlanta airport, according to FlightAware. The Delta flight, using a Boeing 757-300, was originally slated to fly to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience. We are working to support our customers and get them to their destinations as safely and quickly as possible,” Delta said in a statement to multiple outlets.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.