A Ryanair flight preparing to takeoff from Brindisi, Italy, was swiftly evacuated after one of its engines caught fire at the start of its takeoff roll. Over 180 passengers made it safely off the plane and the airport was temporarily closed as emergency responders dealt with the situation.
Ryanair engine catches fire during takeoff
Ryanair
flight FR8826 from Brindisi (BDS) to Turin (TRN) initiated its early-morning takeoff roll when flames began emanating from the aircraft’s right engine. Ryanair crew made the quick decision to abort takeoff and alerted authorities before initiating emergency procedures.
According to a Ryanair spokesperson, cabin crew “observed fumes on the outside of the aircraft” and alerted the flight crew. Passengers captured images of the engine showing significant flaming from the engine – emergency slides were deployed and all 184 passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft safely, with no reported injuries. A spokesperson for Brindisi Airport commented,
“Aeroporti di Puglia announces that due to a problem with a departing aircraft, it was necessary to close the Salento Airport in Brindisi. The problem, which occurred when the aircraft was already aligned at the head for take-off, required the evacuation of passengers via emergency slides.”
The plane—a Boeing 737-800 (registration: 9H-QCB)—was met by emergency services within minutes and the engine was doused in flame retardant. A replacement aircraft—this time a Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 (registration: 9H-VUW)—was brought in to operate the flight to Turin later that day. The flight departed Brindisi at 13:39 local time and arrived at 15:03, representing a delay of over five hours.
Photo: Ryanair
Based on video footage from passengers on the apron, it seems many grabbed their bags before evacuating the aircraft, an action considered a major no-no during emergencies. Doing this can hold up passengers behind and waste precious seconds that could cost someone their life—this is precisely what happened when Aeroflot Flight 1492 burst into flames following a hard landing, with less than half the passengers making it off the plane alive.
Airline investigating cause
Ryanair said it is investigating why the aircraft’s engine caught fire. The 737-800 involved in this incident is fairly young at less than nine years old – powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B engines, 9H-QCB took its first flight in 2016 before delivery to Ryanair the same year.
Photo: Toni. M | Shutterstock
Data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft remains on the ground in Brindisi. It had operated the same flight from Brindisi to Turin the day before, and its last flight was the return leg from Turin.
Rough week in Italy
Today’s incident in Brindisi is the second to hit Ryanair in Italy this week following the tire blowout at Milan Bergamo (BGY) on Tuesday. All four tires on a Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 burst upon landing, causing damage to over a quarter of a mile of runway.
