Shocking Photos & Video of British Airways Airplane Which Caught Fire at Las Vegas Airport

Posted by Odinaka on Wed 09th Sep, 2015 - tori.ng

Heroic British Airways pilot saves 157 passengers after bringing flaming 90mph Gatwick-bound jet to halt in just NINE seconds at Vegas airport allowing them to make miraculous escape with just two injuries.

A heroic British Airways pilot averted disaster by bringing a 350-tonne plane accelerating down the runway at 90mph to a standstill in just nine seconds - saving the lives of everyone on board. There were 159 passengers and 13 crew members aboard

The pilot was readying the plane for take off when it burst into flames at a Las Vegas airport on Tuesday evening. It had been bound for London Gatwick, and was travelling at 90 miles per hour when the left engine caught fire after a catastrophic failure.

Terrified travelers on other flights captured the plumes of smoke billowing from the Boeing 777

Passengers described a loud bang, and the increasing heat from the fire near the windows. But in a mayday call to the control tower, the pilot remained calm and collected, asking for 'fire services' and then informing them 'we are evacuating'.

The passengers and crew exited the plane, which was still in the middle of the runway. Fourteen people were then taken to hospital for treatment - many suffering from suspected smoke inhalation while others were hurt when they evacuated.

This picture led people to question where people's priorities were as they left the burning plane

Writing in The Guardian after escaping the plane, passenger Jacob Steinberg revealed there was applause when the pilot emerged. Without him, the football and tennis writer suggested, it wasn't worth thinking about what would have happened next.

'He said he had been flying for years and had never seen anything like that. He was speaking to a few passengers later and all the colour had drained from his face. There were not enough words in the world for us to express our gratitude.'

A passenger on another flight preparing to take off captures the smoke billowing from the plane

Writing on Twitter earlier, he had revealed: 'Was asleep as the plane took off. Came to a crashing halt. Smell of smoke. Initially told to stay seated, then shout of evacuate.

Could smell and see smoke but was on other side of plane. One person said fire melted a couple of windows. They opened the back door and slide went down and smoke started coming in plane, followed by mad dash to front. A lot of panic.'

Dominic Worthington, a British passenger travelling business class, described a ‘slight jolt, then a bang’ before the plane came to a stop.
He told CBSN: ‘We had a matter of seconds before it could have escalated into something very serious.’

He was also full of praise for the pilot, who appears to have been more concerned for his passengers’ safety rather than his own. ‘He [the pilot] was glad him and his crew were able to get everybody off with a few bumps a bruises, which I think is absolutely outstanding and they deserve full credit.’