Advertisement

NTSB: American Airline engine part flew half-mile after explosion at O'Hare

By Eric DuVall

CHICAGO, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board on Saturday released the results of a preliminary investigation of the engine failure that caused an American Airlines plane to catch fire, showing a piece of the engine was flung nearly 3,000 feet when it exploded.

The incident, which caused American Airlines Flight 383's engine to start on fire as it was attempting takeoff at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, did not cause any serious injuries.

Advertisement

The NTSB said in a briefing Saturday evening a preliminary investigation showed the stage 2 disk of the engine's high pressure turbine failed. The engine part was located in a UPS warehouse located more than a half-mile from the accident site.

The failure caused the plane's engine to explode and catch fire and the pilots immediately aborted takeoff. Passengers were forced to use emergency chutes to escape the plane.

The NTSB said they have not found what caused the turbine to fail.

The incident prompted a massive response from firefighters and caused long delays at one of the nation's busiest airports Friday.

Latest Headlines