Newark airport reopens after plane engine fire, officials say
A plane with its engine on fire aborted its takeoff at Newark Airport Tuesday night, forcing more than 145 people to escape down emergency chutes and the airport to shut down temporarily.
United Flight 1579 was bound for San Francisco when the air traffic control tower notified the crew of what “appeared to be flames from one of the engines,” said airline spokesman Jonathan Guerin.
“The crew immediately deployed the slides and evacuated the aircraft,” Guerin said. “Customers are being transported back to the terminal. We are working to get our customers to San Francisco as soon as possible.”
Out of the 145 passengers and seven crew members, five people reported minor injuries, said Neal Buccino, spokesman for the Port Authority, which operates the airport.
Guerin said one was an ankle injury.
The airport was closed for passenger safety, according to a Twitter chain that started about 9:40 p.m. from the Port Authority.
It reopened just before 11 p.m., but the agency warned of flight delays throughout the night.
Other information was not immediately available.
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Filings: 7-year-old was left home alone for a day 6 months before she died ... LI employers stole nearly $4M from their workers ... Flock reps meeting with Suffolk lawmakers ... Wet weather on the way
