A 
Delta Air Lines
flight heading to São Paulo, Brazil, was forced to return to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
on Wednesday night after a mechanical issue with one of its engines led to flames shooting off the jet, according to Atlanta local news station WSB-TV. The incident occurred shortly after the Airbus Airbus A330-900
, Flight DL105, took off from the world’s busiest airport, with 257 passengers, four pilots, and 10 flight attendants on board.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Visible flames shooting from the engine
The aircraft, registered N408DX, was bound for São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport on January 1. But shortly after leaving the runway, the left engine of the plane began to malfunction, triggering visible flames that alarmed passengers.
One witness, a woman aboard the flight, told WSB-TV that she heard “loud explosions” followed by flames erupting from the left engine before the fire quickly extinguished. A video of the incident, sent to the local news station by the witness, showed the dramatic moment when fire appeared to burst from the engine.
Photo: Jon Tetzlaff | Shutterstock
FlightAware data shows that the plane took off at 18:13 local time and landed safely back at Hartsfield-Jackson at 19:07.
UPDATE: 2025/01/02 16:32 EST BY MIA PING-CHIEH CHEN
Delta Air Lines said in a statement to Simple Flying:
“Delta flight 105 from Atlanta to Sao Paulo returned to the airport soon after takeoff Wednesday evening, following a mechanical issue with the aircraft’s left engine. The Airbus 330 landed safely just after 7 p.m. and was met by firetrucks, which sprayed down the aircraft’s breaks as a precautionary measure due to the heavier than normal landing weight. We reaccommodated all 257 passengers on a different aircraft. We apologize to our customers for this delay in their travels.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration
( FAA
) said in a statement:
“Delta Air Lines Flight 105 returned safely to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport around 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday, January 1, after the crew reported a possible issue with one of the engines. The Airbus A330 was headed to Sao Paulo, Brazil. The FAA will investigate. Please contact the airline for additional information.“
Photo: Ian Dewar Photography | Shutterstock
A replacement plane was sent
After the emergency return, Delta promptly arranged for an alternative aircraft to continue the flight. The replacement jet, a different Airbus A330-300, registered as N807NW, departed at 22:30, four hours later than scheduled, FlightAware data shows. The delayed flight eventually arrived in São Paulo at 10:13 local time on Thursday, approximately five hours later than the originally planned arrival.
A closer look at Delta’s A330-900
The engine failure on Delta Flight 105 is being thoroughly investigated by the airline’s engineering team. The aircraft involved, an Airbus A330-900 with the registration N408DX, is still in Atlanta as of Thursday afternoon local time. It was delivered to the airline in October 2020. This relatively new addition to Delta’s fleet was equipped with two Rolls-Royce engines. For a total of 281 people, the aircraft was set up with 29 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats, and 224 economy class seats.
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According to information from Planespotters.net, Delta currently operates 32 Airbus A330-900 aircraft, with 31 of them actively in service, including the latest addition, N433DX, which the airline took delivery of just two days ago. The fleet has an average age of only 2.7 years, making it one of the newest and most modern segments of Delta’s long-haul fleet. Data shows that Delta is set to receive seven more Airbus A330-900 aircraft in the future.
In contrast, the replacement aircraft, Delta’s Airbus A330-300
registered as N807NW, has a significantly longer operational history. Originally delivered to Northwest Airlines in June 2004, the aircraft has been in service for over two decades and became part of Delta’s fleet following the merger between the two airlines in 2008, planespotters.net shows. Over the years, N807NW has undergone several seat configuration changes to accommodate different cabin layouts, with its most recent update taking place in early 2022, featuring 34 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 227 economy class seats.
Similar incident: Engine fire
In March 2024, Delta Air Lines faced a similar emergency situation when a Boeing 737-900
was forced to turn back shortly after takeoff from Aruba. The flight, bound for Atlanta, encountered a significant mechanical issue when one of its engines suffered a blowout. The pilot took precautionary measures by circling the Caribbean island four times to burn off fuel before landing.
