Photo captures moment plane catches fire on runway

NASHVILLE, TN – The moment a plane caught fire on the runway was captured on photo at Nashville International Airport.

NASHVILLE, TN – The moment a plane caught fire on the runway was captured on photo at Nashville International Airport.

The photographer, a passenger waiting for his flight, snapped the shot in the few seconds that the plane’s engine was alight.

Passengers on board were none the wiser about the huge flames cascading out of the back of the plane as it began its journey on the runway.

They were told there had been a “misfire” and casually got off the plane, but were shocked when they saw photos of the flames later.

Phil Cobucci, 32, said the plane had just pulled back from the gate when the captain came over the loud speaker.

“No one heard anything,” Cobucci told the Tennessean.

“The plane really just stopped in the middle of the tarmac.

“The captain said, ‘We had a misfire,’ which didn’t really make it sound like the picture I saw (later) when they started popping up on Twitter.”

Meanwhile those watching the runway were stunned when the flames burst out.

University of Utah professor Jason Taylor said he was standing at his gate waiting to board his plane.

“The ball of fire lasted for several seconds,” he said.

“It freaked a lot of people out.

“You don’t often see fires on planes.”

An airport spokeswoman said an auxiliary unit on the Skywest aircraft’s engine had caught fire but when the pilot turned off the engine the fire extinguished itself.

The plane was towed back to the gate and all passengers were booked on alternative flights.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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