INTENSE VIDEO: Footage from inside American Airlines Jetliner on Fire

INTENSE VIDEO: Footage from inside the plane that caught fire in Chicago shows the absolute panic that passengers experienced. We have learned one flight attendant and at least seven passengers were injured.

American Airlines flight 383 bound for Miami was forced to abort takeoff at about 2:35 p.m. The pilot heard a thump and thought a tire had blown. The air traffic control tower alerted the pilot to flames. A large fire quickly consumed the plane’s right-side engine and wing. Flight crew immediately stopped the plane and evacuated it using the inflatable slides on the left hand side of the aircraft.

Federal officials said the cause of the fire was “uncontained” engine failure, meaning pieces were blown out of the engine.

All 170 passengers, including flight crew, and a dog were evacuated, Chicago Deputy Fire Commissioner Timothy Sampey said.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKbXHItqbpg

The plane was carrying 43,000 lbs. of fuel at the time.

“This could have been absolutely devastating if it happened later, if it happened farther. There’s about a thousand variables but again, they brought the aircraft to a halt, the air tower did a great job communicating to the pilot what fire they saw and they got everybody off the plane immediately,” Sampey said.

Patients were taken to hospitals including Lutheran General Hospital and Presence Resurrection.

Passenger Hector Cardenas said the plane was seconds away from taking off when he heard an explosion. Large flames and a plume of black smoke could be seen rising from the aircraft. The pilot said they were only 1-2 second away from V1 (100% commitment to takeoff speed) see below. (V1 is the takeoff decision speed – if an engine failure occurs below this speed you abort or reject the takeoff. If it occurs above this speed you continue the takeoff NO MATTER WHAT.)

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The plane was carrying 43,000 lbs. of fuel at the time.

“This could have been absolutely devastating if it happened later, if it happened farther. There’s about a thousand variables but again, they brought the aircraft to a halt, the air tower did a great job communicating to the pilot what fire they saw and they got everybody off the plane immediately,” Sampey said.

Patients were taken to hospitals including Lutheran General Hospital and Presence Resurrection.

Passenger Hector Cardenas said the plane was seconds away from taking off when he heard an explosion. Large flames and a plume of black smoke could be seen rising from the aircraft.

 

There are three speeds pilots use during takeoff. The first one is the decision speed at which stopping is no longer possible and the airplane is committed to fly. This is known as V1. The second speed is when the nose should be raised and the airplane is rotated into the climb attitude, known as Vr. When the airplane attains the Vr speed, the pilot who is not manipulating the controls calls “Rotate,” then the flying pilot applies aft yoke or side stick to raise the nose.

“V1” and “V2”?

V1 is the speed by which time the decision to continue flight if an engine fails has been made. It can be said that V1 is the “commit to fly” speed.

You can abort all the way up to V1, but in practice the decision speed is normally split in two.

Up to 80 knots you will abort for anything.
Between 80 knots and V1 you only abort for engine failure, fire and other serious problems.
Above V1 you take off unless you have serious doubts about the ability of the plane to sustain flight.

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The reason for the 80 knots->V1 interval is as follows: While it is possible to stop, it’s not entirely risk free. Braking that hard may mean blowing the tires and so forth, maybe prompting a slide evacuation. So if the malfunction is minor, you would keep going.

Another reason for the 80 knot call is that on planes with only one nosewheel tiller (such as the MD-80) this is the point where the Captain lets go of the tiller if the F/O is flying.

 

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