NTSB to investigate fiery emergency landing at Miami International Airport
MIAMI - Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board will be at Miami International Airport on Wednesday after a plane's front landing gear collapsed, sparking a fire, during an emergency landing on Tuesday.
The NTSB investigators will begin by going through the plane and looking into its communications, along with interviewing the crew, to figure out why the landing gear wasn't working correctly.
The plane, RED Air SRL 203, arrived in Miami from the Dominican Republic at around 5:30 p.m.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue used foam to put out the flames on the plane's wing.
Some passengers said they were worried as the plane came in for a landing.
"I thought I was going to die actually, there was an old man next to me and I was hugging him, it was horrible," said Paola Garcia. "We were bumping from side to side and all the windows like break and then everything's fine and then the people start running and running and I like jump and start running because there was fire and all that."
"The wheel on the left side, it blow away, and we felt like the airplane go to the left and it started shaking very, very hard and then the airplane went off the runway and we saw the flames," said another passenger Yamil Elneser.
Passengers and crew used the emergency exit and slide to get off the plane.
There were 130 passengers on board, all got off safely. Three were taken to the hospital, no serious injuries were reported.
RED Air issued a statement that read in part:
"RED Air airlines informs the public that today, Tuesday, June 21, at 5:45 p.m., flight L5-203, which covered the route between the cities of Santo Domingo and Miami, presented technical difficulties after landing at the international airport of Miami (MIA).
We want to inform you that the 130 passengers and 10 crew members were evacuated and treated according to the established protocols and the due processes applicable to these cases have been complied with.
Commissions of the Dominican Civil Aviation Institute together with the local authorities in the city of Miami have initiated the pertinent investigations in order to determine the circumstances of the event."
MIA officials said two of the four runways will remain closed until the plane is removed. Travelers can expect delays at peak times. They are encouraged to check with their airline concerning the latest departure and arrival times.