Officials: Plane Makes Emergency Landing At Philadelphia International Airport
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia International Airport says a United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at PHL Airport due to an engine fire.
United Express Flight #4882 was diverted from Raleigh to Newark. #2 engine was on fire. passengers evacuated, fire extinguished. ALL SAFE.
— PHLAirport (@PHLAirport) April 28, 2015
The airport says all 75 on board, passengers and crew included, safely got off of the plane during the emergency evacuation and there were no injuries.
One passenger with a reported history of heart conditions was taken to a local hospital, according to the airport.
Officials say United Airlines Express flight #4882 from Raleigh-Durham was en route to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Authorities say the initial call came in around 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Emergency crews could be seen surrounding the plane on the tarmac.
"You know I think the initial reaction to the bang and the drop was, I think I said 'oh God,'" said passenger Alan Chainey.
"I had my head phones on and the music playing and I still hear a loud pop," said passenger Brian Giordano. "The plane shifted. That side went down, just for a brief second, you could feel that side drag."
"It dropped, it dropped when there was a bang it dropped pretty quickly," said Chainey.
CBS 3 Eyewitness News pulled the plane's safety records and found this airplane has made two previous emergency landings, both in 2013.
Brian Giordano who's final destination is Scotland shot video of passengers evacuating the plane moments after landing, and emergency crews showering the engine with foam.
"There's some adrenaline involved with it. Certainly I mean when you're up that high and they say all right, brace," said Giordano.
Giordano says the airplane was calm and quiet from the moment pilots announced they were landing until the wheels touched the ground.
"A lot of clapping and then the pilot got on and said everybody get out. Stop clapping just get out," said Giordano.
The plane was towed off the runway and some passengers opted to board buses to Newark Airport. The emergency landing backed up planes coming in and out of Philadelphia International for part of the afternoon.
"Just that there was a plane on the runway and we were detained and so we were up there about 40 minutes," said passenger Wendy Madouse.
Eyewitness News spoke with one passenger who decided that he was done with airplanes for a while and opted to take a cab. All of the remaining passengers were taken either by shuttle bus or connecting flight to Newark to continue on their way.
Around 5 p.m., the airport tweeted: 'All runways open. All operations resumed.'
CBS 3 Eyewitness News reporter Diana Rocco contributed to this report.
