Passenger scare as Vivacolombia plane engine catches fire in air, thankfully nobody was injured
Passengers on a domestic flight from Bogota to Medellin last Wednesday February 5 got a scare after one of the plane’s engines caught fire, forcing the plane to return to El Dorado airport.
Fortunately for the 182 passengers on board, the flight crew was able to shut off the engine and return to Bogota, landing safely.
One of those on board was The Bogota Post’s Sports Editor, Freek Huigen.
“After about half a minute in the air there was a bang, and the plane leaned over to one side, and for about another half minute these bangs continued,” Huigen told the Post.
He went on to describe how you could feel the engine being shut down, and the plane beginning to stabilize.
“When we landed there were fire trucks along the runway every 100 to 200 metres waiting for us,” Huigen said.
“The pilot came out of the cockpit sweating and relieved, and a few people were shaking and crying,” he added.
The airline put the passengers on another flight, which made it safely to Medellin without incident.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
By Mark Kennedy
