Alaska Airlines jet engine malfunctions; passengers flee
Fuel buildup in back of engine blamed for fire, official said
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The Associated Press
Published: November 1, 2005
Last Modified: November 1, 2005 at 06:17 AM
CALGARY, Alberta -- Fuel buildup in the rear section of a jet engine was the cause of a fire on an Alaska Airlines flight preparing to takeoff from Calgary, said a company official.
The blaze, which broke out as the twin-engine 737-900 was being backed out of the terminal Sunday morning, was caused by what pilots call "torching." But what caused that fuel to collect and then flare up in the engine is still unknown, said airline spokeswoman Caroline Boren.
The 113 passengers and five crew on the flight bound for Los Angeles had to be evacuated via the plane's emergency escape chutes. No one was injured.
Smoke quickly filled the back half of the plane's cabin, said passenger Connie Watkins.
"It was scary, it was a good thing we were still on the ground," said Watkins, 34, of Edmonton. "Kids were crying; we didn't know what was happening."
No one was hurt and ground crews quickly doused the flames while passengers escaped by sliding down the inflatable emergency chutes.
Dennis Cornish of Calgary said it seemed like it took forever to get off the plane.
"It was frightful, because I was sitting by the window and this big ball of flame came shooting at us," said Cornish, 64, who was heading to Mexico for the winter with his wife Janett, 59. "Then I hollered, 'Fire!' and then another big ball of flame came at us."
The couple said they grabbed their carry-on bags and looked for the nearest door.
The affected engine, a General Electric turbofan from the right side of the aircraft, has been removed and will be analyzed.
Boren said the plane's captain cut the fuel supply to the engine, extinguishing the fire. "It was out in about 30 seconds," she said.
Boren said all passengers were rebooked on other flights.
"We obviously understand that people went through a frightening experience and that kind of situation is always difficult. We try to do whatever we can and we did."
No damage estimate was available. The plane will be returned to service once a replacement engine has been shipped and installed, Boren said.
Alaska Airlines operates two flights a day from Calgary International Airport, to Los Angeles and Seattle.
In January 2000, one of the airline's MD-83 jets carrying 83 passengers and five crew members from Mexico to San Francisco crashed into the Pacific Ocean after reporting mechanical difficulties. There were no survivors.
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