The flight bound for London Gatwick was taxiing on the tarmac at McCarran Airport on Tuesday night when it suddenly caught fire after a catastrophic engine failure.
Terrified travelers on other flights captured the plumes of smoke coming from the Boeing 777 as those on board were forced to jump down inflatable slides and run away from the blaze.
Fourteen people were then taken to hospital for treatment – many suffering from suspected smoke inhalation while others were hurt when they evacuated.
The British Airways flight bound for London Gatwick was loaded with passengers on the tarmac at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas when it burst into flames – just before it was supposed to take off
There were 159 passengers and 13 crew members on board at the time.
According to preliminary information, the plane experienced a left engine fire on takeoff.
The pilot is heard calling ‘mayday’ and asking for ‘heavy fire services’ in a recorded transmission from air traffic control.
One runway was shut but flights continued to depart on remaining runways as paramedics treated those caught up in the fire.
The Boeing 777-220 has 225 seats. It is the same design of the Malaysian Airways Flight 370 which vanished last year.
A spokesman for British Airways said ‘The safety of our customers and crew is always our priority and we are looking after those who were on board the BA2276 from Las Vegas to London Gatwick following an incident on Tuesday September 8, 2015.
‘The aircraft, a 777-200 experienced a technical issue as it was preparing for take-off from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.
‘Our crew evacuated the aircraft safely and the fire was quickly extinguished by the emergency services at the airport.
‘157 customers were on board the flight, along with three pilots and 10 cabin crew. A small number of customers and our crew were taken to hospital.
‘All customers have been provided with hotel accommodation, and our colleagues are helping them with anything further they require.’
A spokesman from Boeing said they were looking into the incident.The Boeing 777-220 has 225 seats. It is the same design of the Malaysian Airways Flight 370 which vanished last year.
A spokesman for British Airways said ‘The safety of our customers and crew is always our priority and we are looking after those who were on board the BA2276 from Las Vegas to London Gatwick following an incident on Tuesday September 8, 2015.
‘The aircraft, a 777-200 experienced a technical issue as it was preparing for take-off from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.
‘Our crew evacuated the aircraft safely and the fire was quickly extinguished by the emergency services at the airport.
‘157 customers were on board the flight, along with three pilots and 10 cabin crew. A small number of customers and our crew were taken to hospital.
‘All customers have been provided with hotel accommodation, and our colleagues are helping them with anything further they require.’
A spokesman from Boeing said they were looking into the incident.The Boeing 777-220 has 225 seats. It is the same design of the Malaysian Airways Flight 370 which vanished last year.
A spokesman for British Airways said ‘The safety of our customers and crew is always our priority and we are looking after those who were on board the BA2276 from Las Vegas to London Gatwick following an incident on Tuesday September 8, 2015.
‘The aircraft, a 777-200 experienced a technical issue as it was preparing for take-off from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.
‘Our crew evacuated the aircraft safely and the fire was quickly extinguished by the emergency services at the airport.
‘157 customers were on board the flight, along with three pilots and 10 cabin crew. A small number of customers and our crew were taken to hospital.
‘All customers have been provided with hotel accommodation, and our colleagues are helping them with anything further they require.’
A spokesman from Boeing said they were looking into the incident.He added that the pilot then addressed passengers and told them there had been a spectacular engine failure.
BA later sent this apology letter to passengers
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