The flight from Edinburgh to New York ended with an emergency landing with a fire: one of the engines failed during the flight, Business Insider reports.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident on the flight of the American company Delta Air Lines occurred a few minutes after takeoff. First, the passengers heard a loud bang, and then saw that the right wing of the aircraft was on fire and “something was leaking” from the body of the aircraft during the climb.
“Despite the noise-canceling headphones and music, there was unbearable noise,” one passenger told Lad Bible. “Then all the TVs turned off. Then we saw the captain walking back and forth along the aisle, and we thought it was serious.
Later it was announced that the plane was heading to Prestwick (Glasgow Prestwick Airport – author’s note). As we began to descend, there was an eerie silence, punctuated by sighs. People started crying, and I held my friend’s hand because I sincerely thought we weren’t going to land.”
The flight landed at Glasgow Prestwick International Airport less than an hour after taking off from the Scottish capital. The air harbors are about 60 miles (100 kilometers) apart.
INCIDENT: Delta #DL209 Edinburgh to New York/JFK (Boeing 767-300ER N197DN) diverted to Glasgow/Prestwick earlier today after suffering a starboard engine issue shortly after take-off.https://t.co/5CjRNePMT6https://t.co/JEmi5BCTPP pic.twitter.com/EQvEhMiwhI
— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) February 10, 2023
An airline spokesman told Insider that the cause of the incident was a mechanical problem with one of the plane’s two engines.