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Korean Air Avoids Devastating Plane Fire Before Takeoff [Updated]

By Antonio J. Newell
Published on: 19:33 PST, May 26, 2016

A Korean Air plane almost entered takeoff protocol when an obvious error was detected. It was a flaming error that could have killed several passengers.

At Hadena Airport, in Tokyo, Japan, a Korean Air plane’s engine caught fire before the aircraft could leave the runway. According to NBC News, some of the Korean Air passengers were possibly injured before firefighters were able to arrive on scene and extinguish the flames.

[Update – May 29, 7:17 pm EST]

The Korea Herald reports that, under law, the Japanese Transport Ministry is required to investigate the Korean Air fire incident. However, so far, it has been examined by the Transport Safety Board. The source mentions that the agency found several of the plane’s turbine blades shattered within the engine compartment. Korean Air’s Boeing 777-300 lost pieces of its engine and turbine blades along the runway during its taxi.

The source also reports that, once the plane’s engine caught fire, it didn’t immediately halt. The Korea Herald states that the Boeing 777 coasted an additional 700 meters from the initial point of incident. Accordingly, there were track marks which proved evident in the agency’s investigation. The source says the marks began from the plane’s debris and stopped 700 meters thereafter.

[Update – 4:09 pm EST]

According to Fort-Worth Star Telegram, reports indicate that 19 people were either injured during or didn’t feel well after Korean Air’s plane fire. The source notes that the plane’s flames were extinguished within an hour by airport firefighters.

Likewise, the malfunctioning Korean Air Boeing 777-300 is under current investigation and examination in order to determine what started the fire. Although the passengers from Flight 2708 were temporarily stranded on the runway, the company sent another aircraft to take them to their destination. The runway which Flight 2708 intended to use remained blocked until Korean Air could remove the plane from the roadway.

This story is still developing. Please check back as more information becomes available.

[Original Story]

The source mentions that Japanese firefighters battled Korean Air’s flames from the left engine. Along with their efforts toward the Korean airplane, they also “blanketed” other portions of the aircraft with the same foamy, white substance they used to extinguish the Korean Air left engine.

However, as go safety measures, the plane’s staff deployed chutes from the emergency doors. The source states that the particular Korean Air flight contained 302 passengers and 17 crew members. Fortunately, all of the Korean Air flight’s staff and passengers were evacuated from the plane. In the following video, you can watch footage of the Korean Air flight’s escape as firefighters continued to extinguish the flames.

After they left the plane, the source notes that the large crowd collectively assembled on the grass near the airport’s runaway.

Also, among the passengers, there were unconfirmed reports about two men and five woman who allegedly encountered injury during the plane’s incident.

The source notes that it all happened on Korean Air Flight 2708. This plane was actually leaving Tokyo, Japan, and its destination was Seoul, South Korea. Government representative Kyosuke Okada mentioned that authorities don’t yet know the initial cause of the plane’s fire.

You can see live footage from earlier during Korean Air’s plane fire in the video below.

https://youtu.be/jTd5Y4y5Eu4

However, this story is still developing. As more information about Korean Air Flight 2708 becomes available, The Inquisitr will continue to update this story. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts about the situation in the comments below.

[Image via YouTube]

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