A Delta Air Lines plane appears to have caught fire after landing in Seattle on May 6, forcing an evacuation.
Video of the incident shows smoke and a bright light in the nose area of the Airbus A321neo, and passengers exiting the aircraft via emergency slides. aircraft towing tractor airport
“During deplaning on the evening of May 6, the crew of Flight 604 from Cancun to Seattle witnessed smoke in the aircraft nose area after plugging into ground electrical power. Out of an abundance of caution, slides were deployed and passengers still on board deplaned via the rear of the aircraft,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Passengers were fully evacuated, and those deplaned to the ramp returned to the terminal via the ramp stairs. All passengers exited to customs in the International Arrivals Facility for regular processing. The aircraft has been removed from service for inspection and maintenance.”
According to Delta, the plane involved in the incident was less than two years old. The airline and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.
Delta said it has not yet confirmed the source of the fire, but its investigation is currently focusing on the ground power unit, not the airplane itself.
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Video of the evacuation also shows many passengers exiting the aircraft with their belongings, which is against most safety guidelines. Luggage and other accessories can slow down an evacuation and can result in avoidable injury or deaths.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
aircraft ground power unit The Key Points at the top of this article were created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and reviewed by a journalist before publication. No other parts of the article were generated using AI. Learn more.