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British Airways Fire in Las Vegas

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LAS VEGAS — Passengers on landing planes grabbed dramatic photos of a fire that engulfed a British Airways Boeing 777 at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon. The incident happened shorlty after 4:20 p.m. (PT) Airport officials said 159 passengers and 13 crew members were evacuated by emergency slides. Two people were reported injured. (www.wsbtv.com) More...

anthony mchale
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Doobs
Dee Lowry 7
Been there done that. Blew #2 on a DC-10 at 500ft on take off. Full Load. We leveled out and made it back to Toronto. Little did we know, that we had a external engine fire. The #2 blow-out sounded like 5 double barrel shotguns...if not more. It definitely got your attention. United has an intense training program. They gave us, the cabin crew, the authority to evac without a cockpit order. Other carriers don't have that option. The cabin crew wait for the green light to evac from the cockpit. We initiated a Full Load evac under 90 seconds. 387PAX. As far as the "Carry-On"... yes the do take their carry bags. I was at 1L and I was ripping bags out of their hands before I threw them out the slide. Taking your carry-on is the worst thing to do. Leave your precious Laptop behind and safe your butt. If that slide is the only way out and the slide punctures it...end of story. Now with the aircraft. They may have add a
compressor stall which is unusual with the later model engines but it can still happen. So #1 went...I feel the fire started from Throwing Back the Throttle, engaging the thrust reversers and standing on the brakes. It was 103 degrees. Imagine how hot the runway was. I feel that it wasn't the engine but it was a wheel well fire. As far as the evac....they shouldn't have deployed the Left Side Slides. Always access conditions prior to opening the exit.
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FrankHarvey
Frank Harvey 2
Very interesting speculation on the cause of the BA fire. I can't wait for the NTSB. Something burning was making a heck of a lot of thick black smoke. You were very lucky wih your DC-10 losing #2 and having an external fire under the fin. United 232 weren't as fortunate - they lost all their hydraulics when #2 blew.
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Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
Frank- The reason why we didn't lose the hydraulic systems is because when UA 232 went down...the DC-10's were grounded. They rerouted the hydraulic lines so if you blew #2, you wouldn't lose the control of the aircaft. Yes, we were fortunate. Walked away from another one!
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FrankHarvey
Frank Harvey 3
Dee - Thanks for the explanation. I hadn't known that the lines in the DC10 tail had been rerouted after UA 232. I guess thats why its important to investigate the minutiae of a crash, it subsequently can save lives, in this case yours.

The poor folks on JAL 123 (a 747) lost their entire fin and rudder, and all hydraulics, but managed to keep it flying, even turning, for half an hour.
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FrankHarvey
Frank Harvey 2
Dee - Many thanks for your contributions to the squawks. They are valued by some of us. Please don't be put off by rude ex-Phantom drivers who spent "years" (sic) in Viet Nam and also flew thousands of hours in P3s "in war time" and repeatedly had to land a/c which for some reason were disabled on both carriers and "the hard".

By contrast I've met some very decent ex-F4 drivers, one of whom admitted he did land an a/c damaged by ground fire and a very decent P3 pilot at Willow Grove PA, all of whom are very tolerant of my comments even when they distrust or disagree with what I've said. Please continue to post whenever you feel its appropriate.

I also think your speculations are realistic.
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Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
Thankyou, Frank. Not to worry. It takes alot to shoot down this "clipped wing" Flight Attendant.
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30west
30west 1
I believe that most of the legacy airlines followed that procedure (cabin crew could initiate an evac and, of course, inform the cockpit) and it was the FA's responsibility to evaluate the outside conditions prior to opened an emergency exit. It was at mine.
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gunfitr
Kurt Anderson -5
Sounds like you know more than the Pilots in the left and right seats did. I think you should stick to writing Aviation disaster Fiction paperbacks.
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Doobs
Dee Lowry 2
Kurt- Are you replying to me?
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gunfitr
Kurt Anderson -4
Of course I am.
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Doobs
Dee Lowry 2
Because of your attitude, Kurt, I had to reply. I am a private pilot and flew with UAL for over 30 yrs. Can you say that? Packed on alot of hours in the air in those 30 years. I'm proud of my occupation and flying skills. Obviously, you're not educated in the Aviation Industry. I post my squawks the way I see them and squawk about the evacuations I've been in. You're comment was totally inappropriate.
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gunfitr
Kurt Anderson -3
I flew F4B Phantoms in Viet Nam for a number of years and quite a few thousands of hours between them and P3 Orions. I would bet between the two of them in war time I could better your hours. I would also bet I have landed more disabled aircraft on Carriers and the hard than you would believe.
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joelwiley
joel wiley 2
Your claimed experience makes your derogatory comment less understandable. Perhaps you were just had an off moment with an off-hand comment.
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gunfitr
Kurt Anderson -2
Can't waste anymore time with you.
See Ya.
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mcrawford6121
mcrawford6121 11
At least it didn't happen half way across the Atlantic
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preacher1
preacher1 5
I think that pretty much all of us, after watching the various videos, that the Captain did a good job getting stopped and the FA's did a good job on evacuation, and that the FD gang did a good job getting there and getting the fire out. The one thing that I did notice though was that the total evac time was about 5 minutes, rather than the 90 seconds required by the FAA. I wonder if that extra time was caused by those idiots grabbing their carryons and blocking things up.
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dtw757
mike SUT 8
Remember "Bag Lives Matter"
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mattwestuk
Matt West 7
Being an ex-pat from Britain, I would guess to say that there was probably quite a few bottles of "duty-free" stashed in those bags. If they had left them, it could have made the fire a whole lot worse!
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amiablebird
Ed Merriam 1
IIRC that may've been a big factor in KAL 801 on Guam
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RECOR10
RECOR10 5
What color bag?
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Viperguy46
Jesse Carroll -5
Black, red,purple ,green,yellow....at this point what difference does it make ......except for a "Racist" such as you!
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BaronG58
BaronG58 2
" At this point what difference does it make " Hillary ?
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joelwiley
joel wiley 3
A number of people have been arrested for failure to comply with the FA instructions and endangering the safety of the aircraft. Wouldn't blocking the aisle/ chute with your oversized 'carryon' qualify as well?
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mattwestuk
Matt West 2
Remember when Alec Baldwin got thrown of an American flight for not turning off his cellphone? That was a huge issue (with little consequences considering the FAA changed the rule not long after). Yet these people take time to get their luggage during a fire and pretty much nothing!

On a final note, this reminds me of some advice my father-in-law gave me. A B52 aviator of 30+ years, he always said he never takes his shoes off on commercial flights during take-off and landing as this is where problems are a)most likely to occur and b)can be the most problematic. I follow his advice which definitely would have helped here as I would not have been walking across the Las Vegas tarmac bear-foot!
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akovia
akovia 2
I flew the bush for 31 years and bare feet were not allowed during T/O and landing.
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 1
Paw you
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
I would say it would... The Flight Attendant tells you to leave them behind... At least the ones in the US do... This is a foreign carrier with different regulations... In the US however:

"An individual on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States who, by assaulting or intimidating a flight crew member or flight attendant of the aircraft, interferes with the performance of the duties of the member or attendant or lessens the ability of the member or attendant to perform those duties, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both. However, if a dangerous weapon is used in assaulting or intimidating the member or attendant, the individual shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life."

So technically everyone who took their bags with them could receive up to 20 years in prison...
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mageldres
Miguel Geldres 1
Si la tripulacion hizo tan bien el trabajo de evacuacion porque lo hizo hacia el lado izquierdo donde estaba el fuego??? para la TV??? la gente que bajo por atras quedo en el medio de la plataforma hasta pasados los 3 minutos mas o menos, alguien los tiene que llevar a algun lado y juntarlos...
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RECOR10
RECOR10 1
Hey,jerk First TSA threw away my new "Amerikan" shampoo, then they searched my junk with an electron scanner. I will be damned if I am going to leave my Las Vegas playing cards in the carry on! How dare you want me to leave my precious belongings.
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paviation07
sam kuminecz 2
property can be replaced, lives cannot
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gunfitr
Kurt Anderson 1
You need serious help my friend.
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andyc852
Andy Cruickshank 1
Only 159 pax and 19 crew, so not a full load by any means and still a slow evacuation.
I think the crew will eventually be criticized for not turning the aircraft so the fire was not blowing over the fuselage. Another couple of minutes and the fuselage would be consumed.
Aircraft is written off I believe.
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
What is the difference with the amount of pax... Regulations are regulations... Also, I believe the plane is already written off.
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billgrafton1979
billgrafton1979 6
I was there watching this event unfold. Firstly the number one exploded causing a large fire ball and black smoke caused by the A1 kero fuel burn. When an evacuation is announced all exits are automatically opened and the chutes deploy. This is regardless where the fire maybe. But the captain would tell the crew and passengers to evacuate to the right of the aircraft. If anyone had taken a look at the footage you would see number one left burning with the chute deployed but if you look up at the door 2 left it remained closed where as the other doors were opened??. I had taken the emergency fire crew actual time of 5mins to get to the aircraft and had the fire extinguished. Reports from typical Media TV channels always mis lead the viewer saying it had taken ten minutes for services to reach the aircraft, which is rubbish just for 30 seconds of fame. I actually witness this incident it was put out within two minutes from the fire service. Ten minutes would have being a real disarter and the aircraft completely destroyed
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alexsp78
alexsp78 5
Bill,
I'm an ex BA LGW crew member who has flown G-VIIO many times and KLAS was actually my last LH flight with the company. Just to let you all know, when an exac is ordered by the flight crew they will usually (if time permits and if they start the exac) let the crew know if there is a known hazard and where it is. If the crew starts it (due to smoke in the cabin) they are required to look out of the window and if any smoke/fire is seen to NOT use that exit and redirect to another one no matter who started the evacuation.
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joelwiley
joel wiley 3
Thanks for the eyewitness report. It's a nice contrast to the "I Witless" reporting on the news feeds.
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sparkie624
sparkie624 2
Thanks for the clarification... I could not see them taking much more time than that... One time on a maintenance run on a 737 200 we had a hot start that shot flames out the tail pipe about 200 yards and the Fire Depart was there in 45 seconds and that was at 2AM... I guess the tower called them... You could tell they were tired, but they were ready for the worst, and I think they were glad to go back to bed :)
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billgrafton1979
billgrafton1979 1
Sorry for the spell era's people
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RECOR10
RECOR10 2
Chicago radio is still saying that it took "hours" to extinguish the flames. Not exactly what the video shows...when there is no news - make it!
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
I hope you don't believe them... LOL, there were pictures on FA of the fire department being there in less time than that.
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billgrafton1979
billgrafton1979 1
The KLAS ATC tower deployed the fire department which in fact it had taken three of there appliances and crew to reach the aircraft 4min 55 seconds and 25 seconds to start shooting the foam out which I timed this from the terminal also KLAS ATC would acknowledge this on there reports to the exact time from the person who contacted the ground emergency services as well as the Las Vegas fire service who also turned up on the seen on stand by which was deployed including ambulances sent from Las Vegas hospitals which were also at the gate or in the emergency response area command area on stand by just in case they were needed.
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nasdisco
Chris B 1
Sections of the High pressure section of the engine were found on the runway. So I reckon that's a contained event except the bits came out in a safe fashion rather than penetrating laterally and puncturing one of the fuel tanks.
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
As you mention that this is a "contained event except the bits came out in a safe fashion" Ugh, I must disagree with you... In no means was this contained... This was most certainly an "Uncontained" event by any means... Littering the runway with parts is very unsafe for the a/c loosing them as well as the next aircraft to take off.

Uncontained Engine Failure: An “uncontained” engine failure is a failure where rotating elements of the engine penetrate the case of the engine.

Reference: Aviation Glossary for more information: http://aviationglossary.com/uncontained-engine-failure/
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preacher1
preacher1 1
It definitely tore up the fire suppression system. LOL. Swarmed is the term used down South. LOL
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PeterMcDevitt
Peter McDevitt 1
You can't trust the media at all. I heard one report that the pilot returned to the airport and landed successfully and blah blah blah. They hailed him as a hero for doing so. As I understand it, the plane never got off the ground. Don't believe everything you hear!
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dfrandin
Dave Frandin 1
What used to be good journalism, as the "4th estate" has now become the "US Department of Propaganda".... If you value truth, you'll pay NO attention to the media...
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wwharris
Bill Harris 2
More complete video of the evac and emergency services response here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvA5X1anaH4

I thought the lede above exaggerates a bit; the aircraft wasn't what I would consider engulfed, as it appears that the fire was largely confined to the engine and possibly the port wing.
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linbb
linbb 2
Lots more than just one side look at the photos. Also why in the hell do they let those stupid people get luggage out of the overhead as one day real soon people are going to die doing it.
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africantilapia
Adrian Piers 5
Why do the airlines allow people to take on the KITCHEN SINK as "hand luggage"?

A bag that has rollers or wheels to use as a trolley is hardly "hand luggage"!

Disembarking normally would be speeded up 3X if there was some common sense about it!
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FrankHarvey
Frank Harvey 1
Because some airlines now charge you to check bags and BA only allows those traveling at the back to check one 40 lb (or so) bag. So some pax take their second bag in the cabin, together with their "laptop" case (sans laptop), a "handbag" and a "diaper" bag.
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MikeMohle
Mike Mohle 0
Also walking downwind of the fire/smoke..... Maybe they were directed that way though.
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preacher1
preacher1 2
It also looked like the evac slide just ahead of that engine was deployed. I don't know if anyone came down it or not but I would have thought evac would have directed to the other side.
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rarebear14
Dolf Brouwers 2
Again top job of the firefighters !
Toddy its 911 and my thoughts are with all the people that suffered that day...
We will never forget.....
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sflso
David Kay 2
Bags were full of Vegas jackpots?
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blademan007
blademan007 3
If the No.1 engine left side detonated, why turn (assume, unless wind changed) to right and allow the wind to blow smoke/fire over fuselage? Could this have not become a repeat of British Airtours? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airtours_Flight_28M
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sparkie624
sparkie624 2
Very similiar... I would bet that plane is toast and will never fly again.... The reason that I say that is the location of the fire and wing damage, I would expect to see the forward Wing Spar Damaged and the Wing would have to be replaced...
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joelwiley
joel wiley 1
From the ATC audio around the time of the incident winds were called at 360 @ 5, 020 @ 6, and 020 @ 4. Smoke appears to be drifting R - L and away from the aircraft. Which runway were they using?
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jimquinndallas
Jim Quinn 4
What in the world were the passengers doing taking luggage off the aircraft during an evac? I would have thought that the FA's would have instructed passengers (insisted!) that they leave their bags behind, or that if their bags were so important that they couldn't leave them, to please stay behind with their luggage. If someone questions why it took so long to evacuate the aircraft perhaps the photo would provide an answer, unless there was some other excuse? I'm not that knowledgeable about this, so I'm looking forward to an education from others.
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preacher1
preacher1 5
You are not wrong. It was even announced on one of the National News services that happened. In an emergency evac you are supposed to get the hell off the plane. FAA requires 90 seconds. One report said total evac took close to 5 minutes. I gives kudos to the Captain for the high speed abort. Some have fussed about his positioning but I expect his mind was on getting stopped and getting people off rather than worry about which way the wind was blowing.
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akovia
akovia 2
Positioning. It was pointed down the runway, ready for take off. I will not argue or critique the Captians decision to evacuate instead of finding a better parking place. I'm with you, preacher.
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sparkie624
sparkie624 2
If you remember from British AirTours, He turned off the runway instead of stopping on the runway.... If he had stopped on the runway, more people would have survived.
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FrankHarvey
Frank Harvey 1
Preacher you're right. Everything went exceptionally well, except the for those pax with baggage which may account for the outside-spec evac time. Flight crew and airport ARFF and ATC or whoever directed them to the a/c need to be congratulated.

By contrast in 1980 when Saudia's L1011 SV-163, with Saudi nationals as Captain and FO and a TWA engineer in the 3rd seat, experienced an in-flight fire at the rear of the cabin they spent about four minutes analysing the alarms and consulting the manual before deciding to return to Riyadh and informing ATC about the emergency. Meanwhile they lost number two (above the fire). When they landed they taxied off the active and parked on a taxiway. They waited about 3 minutes before shutting down the wing engines and did not evacuate. The Saudi ARFF were in the wrong location and it took them a while to reach the a/c and a very long 23 minutes after the landing before they actually tried to open the doors even though they could see flames inside the cabin when they had actually arrived at the a/c. One report said they didn't try to enter the cabin until the flames had died down. All on board died, according to autopsies mostly from the fumes. The pax bodies were all at the front of the cabin and the flight crew's bodies on the flight deck. Better CRM and Crew-ATC-ARFF communications might have saved some or all of the 301 souls on board.
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preacher1
preacher1 1
I remember that. It was one big cluster and I think there was lot of finger pointing but blame never stuck in anyone place.
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FrankHarvey
Frank Harvey 1
It was a cluster. In some places competence, experience, merit and a serious attitude to training and honest evaluations, analysis and criticisms of exercises and revisions of procedures are rated above family connections.
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[This poster has been suspended.]

paviation07
sam kuminecz 1
in an emergency if not trained like the crew...the passenger's rational goes out the window real fast...
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joelwiley
joel wiley 1
"When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout". That about covers it.
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amiablebird
Ed Merriam 0
they do seem to be described as evacuating quickly once they determined which slides were safe and the videos show people coming out pretty rapidly--of course even if luggage doesn't slow people down that much it'd be madness to not insist that people not take it!

I do know I didn't take my laptop when my train collided with a jumper (the person, not the clothing) and wrecked the wheels; I'm glad to say I can't report from any airplane incidents! (yet)
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btweston
btweston -2
They were freaking out. How would you behave in that situation?

Wait... I don't believe you.

Also, I really don't think that the flight attendants would tell passengers to stay behind with their luggage. That's not even funny.
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apmac77
anthony mchale 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Ecr5h_Y-M
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TorstenHoff
Torsten Hoff 2
Too bad the person stopped recording just as Fire & Rescue arrived.
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DSmithOps
DSmithOps 1
Right? From an operations standpoint, I would have liked to see that. But, there is another video shot from a Southwest jet showing ARFF and operations in action.
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R123154
RICK HUGHES 2
This is a good example of why airlines train as much as they do.Other than minor injuries and being scared beyond anyone's imagination all evacuated quickly and with a reasonable amount of safety.
Thank the good lord for the outcome.
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 1
I wondered how long it would be before 'The Good Lord' took a bow
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wwharris
Bill Harris 1
"Mister Scott, there was no deity involved. It was my cross-circuiting to 'B' that recovered them."

Spock, in ST:TOS episode "Obsession".
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preacher1
preacher1 4
Takeoff and landing are the 2 most critical times of any flight and a pilot ought to be on their game. That said, any time you become airborne, you best have deity in the pointy end with you.
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30west
30west 1
I agree with you on booth points!
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DSmithOps
DSmithOps 1
Also a good example why we (airport operations) and ARFF train as well! Response time was pretty good and they made short work of extinguishing the fire!
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nasdisco
Chris B 2
Article includes Mayday ATC recording. Training training training pays dividends.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3227162/British-Airways-plane-bursts-flames-Las-Vegas-McCarran-Airport-off.html
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cnyflyboy
Stephen Donnelly 2
You're right Jim. Passengers are not supposed to do this. I would assume they disobeyed the FA's
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Campbellcunningham3
Campbell Cunningham 2
I hope that photos taken by witnesses can be used to identify passengers on the runway with large bags and even wheeled suitcases. They need to be subjected to the wrath of the public and made to understand how they could have caused others to be injured or even burnt in the fire.
Perhaps the injuries reported by some press outlets were caused by luggage sliding down the escape chutes?
All praise to the crew who managed to evacuate all the passengers even allowing for the selfish actions on some idiots.
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paviation07
sam kuminecz 1
as my friend Cliff stated on a different squawk

"its better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6"
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btweston
btweston -2
They should make you an honorary junior detective.
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wx1996
wx1996 1
http://flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/24_hours/new/50402/British_Airways_Fire_in_Las_vegas
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wx1996
wx1996 1
http://flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/24_hours/new/50402/British_Airways_Fire_in_Las_vegas
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dfrandin
Dave Frandin 1
I live in Las Vegas, and frequently drive by the airport on the south side, and see the BA 777 still sitting over in the freight area. I asked here on FA about any updates to its status, and apparently I missed an article in the LVRJ about what its costing BA to park what looks to be a "hull loss". The article stated that BA has to pay $375/day to park the aircraft where it is, and the article also mentioned that term "hull loss".. If they are required to scrap the aircraft, I hope they'll be able to at least pull the good engine and everything out of the cockpit.. It will be interesting to see what is done with the rest of the plane, if its totalled...
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joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Maybe they could take a flaperon and float it in the Indian ocean with a tracking device and see if they can mimic the route of the one that came ashore on Reunion Is.
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LKenley
Lonnie Kenley 1
Everyone on that Plane is Blessed. This would have been a real problem if the plane had been anywhere off the ground.
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akovia
akovia 1
USA Today reported that the pilot was one flight away ( to Barbados) from retirement. He retired early. First time in 42 years flying to have a life threatening emergency.
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
That is a lot of positive flying for many years...
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Viperguy46
Jesse Carroll 1
"At this point, what difference does it make".... Just quoting a well known politiccian!However, the job. ERT did a fabulous job!
Ditto's to mcrawford6121 point!
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japanjeff
japanjeff 1
KLAS tower recording during incident (takeoff clearance around 10:45, go-arounds and mayday and stuff starting around 12:40): http://archive-server.liveatc.net/klas/KLAS-Twr1-Sep-08-2015-2300Z.mp3
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joelwiley
joel wiley 1
AVHERALD.Com report:
http://avherald.com/h?article=48c10434&opt=0
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mageldres
Miguel Geldres 1
El servicio contraincendios llego relativamente rapido teniendo en cuenta las distancias de estos aeropuertos grandes pero
""porque la evacuación de los pasajeros se hizo por la izquierda cuando el fuego estaba de ese lado???? saludos desde Argentina
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joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Saluds from Google Translate:
The fire service arrived relatively fast considering the distances of these large airports but
"" because the evacuation of passengers was on the left when the fire was on that side ???? Greetings from Argentina
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swishere2c
jim swisher 1
Glad no one was seriously hurt and BRAVO ZULU to fire crew. Turbine blades are made very carefully. Registered to turbine wheel and engine. Heat is the factor. On start, temp must be monitored. Hot starts (overlooked) fatigue blades. Not just one, more than one. Early jet engines blew apart for that reason and recognized. Setting 1010 C for buster also fatigues blades. Something may come apart always in the back of mind. Speed is life in combat. Jugs... over boosting manifold pressure could blow a recip. Graduate of A-1 and A-3 school. Go Navy... Swish
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
There are a lot of things that could cause an uncontained failure... To name a few, Oil Pressure, Bearings, Over Temp, FOD, and a lot more... We had an engine that we were having issues with and with trend monitoring we started looking at it and determined there was a bearing that was having issues... We R&R'd the engine, and got feed back that within a few hours they predicted it would have been an Uncontained Failure....

This particular engine could have had a system malfunction that caused the failure, FOD ingestion that we may not even know about until later on in the investigation, a fracture in a blade that could have happened months or even years before...
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Flyer
Steve Wade 1
Can anybody figure out why the escape doors were opened on the side where the fire was??
Never heard of that procedure before??
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Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
Unfortunately they didn't access the conditions. Bad move on their part.
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joelwiley
joel wiley 1
That should come out in the NTSB report, if we can wait that long.
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preacher1
preacher1 1
Somewhere in this thread there is a post about that. No one seems to know for sure yet but they could have been opened by pax or FA's might have just opened them all before Captain gave orders to evac other side. No pax down the front. Seems like some at the rear and you can't see the other side.
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preacher1
preacher1 1
And I really doubt that FA's would have opened them without instructions from the Captain.
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sgbelverta
sharon bias 1
Kind of surprised how long it took to get the folks off the plane. Shutes seemed to deploy late and no one was using them.
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AZAFVET
Wayne Fox 2
Perhaps they were exiting on the starboard side to avoid the flames and heat?
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joelwiley
joel wiley 0
They may have opened the port side doors with the fire crews coming on scene to use those after the crews got a handle on the fire. Just thinking.
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edgeair
edgeair 2
If I had to guess, maybe the passengers panicked and opened those port side doors on their own imitative. The passengers must have been panicked and weren't in any mood to hear a FA tell them not to use that door.
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TorstenHoff
Torsten Hoff 1
No, based on the video the slides on the left side deployed while the fire was still raging.

I'm actually surprised they opened the doors on that side at all. The last thing you want is a bunch of lemmings going down the slide and landing in a fire stoked by spreading jet fuel.
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joelwiley
joel wiley 0
I was trying to think of a reason for deploying them on that side. Maybe overthought it. We'll find out why they opened them in the after-action report.
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jmilleratp
jmilleratp 1
As a Captain, when ordering an Evacuation, there are three primary ways. 1.) You call to evacuate, all exits, 2.) You call to evacuate left side, Captain's side, 3.) You call to evacuate right side, First Officer's side. Not sure what happened in this case. Regardless of what the Captain orders, you could have crew opening and deploying slides other than ordered, you could also have passengers going off on their own and opening doors and deploying slides.
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2018paulrobbinx
Paul Robbins 1
Trust me, I only ask this after I learn everyone is OK, but do you think that 772 is going to get turned in to soda cans?
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btweston
btweston 8
Only after it makes an appearance on Nancy Grace to be mercilessly chastised.
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paviation07
sam kuminecz 1
some parts will probabally get returned to the BA fleet, or sold to other B772 operators
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
Most certainly... With that fire and heat that wing spare is toast, all the sheet metal around that area is burnt away... In addition fire was flowing over top of the fuselage, and all of that metal in and around that area will have to replaced... The stringers and longerons will most likely be weakened due to the excessive heat from the fire... We did not see fire in the belly, but a calculated bet would be that there was plenty there which will mean even more damage and weakened metal underneath.... I would put this plane in the area of "UnEconomical To Repair" - This comes from 30+ years of airline experience working on this class of aircraft. If they rebuild it they will most likely call in a Boeing Team and it will probably take 3 to 6 months to repair.... Keep in mind, that wing will have to be replaced. I know the wing of a CRJ-200 that needed replaced was going to cost 15 million and the plane was scraped... This will be many times more than that for starters.
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 4
Always makes me smile when you chaps post in the american language
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africantilapia
Adrian Piers 2
These yanks are something else! And here I was, not even knowing that everything is bigger and better in the USA!

First I ever heard that this type even carries a spare wing!
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sparkie624
sparkie624 0
English is the international language of the world in aviation...
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 5
You really are missing the point. Look up irony.
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joelwiley
joel wiley 2
Were you implying that you speak unamerican english? How do you pronounce the element with the symbol Al?
Look up satire.
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 1
Depends how you spell it and we all know Americans can't spell
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joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Two countries separated by a common language. 8-)
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 1
Really! i'd never call English common.... American .. Yes
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 1
The metal was named in 1807 by the English chemist Sir Humphry Davy, at first spelling it alumium and finally settling on aluminium in 1812. It matched harmoniously with many other elements whose names ended in –ium, like potassium, sodium, and magnesium, all of which had been named by Davy.
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tommyfa
Tom Trainor 0
Yep. This looks at least as bad as the first write-off in Jan 2008. I think the 777's physical honeymoon is over. They're growing old. Like me.
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nasdisco
Chris B 1
Could have been much worse. Fire damage melted much of the wing and couldn't have been far from the fuel tanks. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3227162/British-Airways-plane-bursts-flames-Las-Vegas-McCarran-Airport-off.html#i-900d4f7751df6179
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panolte
Paul Nolte 2
The real disaster here is the PIC’s suit. Where’d he get this? The rejected costume closet on the Austin Powers set?
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MikeMohle
Mike Mohle -1
I love the BA pilot caps too!
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jimquinndallas
Jim Quinn 1
Spot on, Chris. And I'm glad that the passengers evacuated the aircraft without getting in the way of the fire apparatus.
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jcarroll44
jason carroll 1
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

LAS VEGAS — A British Airways plane caught fire at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas Tuesday afternoon.

According to the airport’s twitter account, there were 159 passengers and 13 crew on the flight. Two were transported for minor injuries.

The plane is a 275-seat B777-200. McCarran Airport officials said the plane was about to depart to London Gatwick. One runway has been closed, but the airport’s three other runways are still operating.

http://fox13now.com/2015/09/08/plane-catches-fire-on-runway-in-las-vegas/
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

British Airways plane catches fire at Las Vegas airport; 2 injured

A fire broke out Tuesday on an outbound British Airways flight at Las Vegas' airport, leading two people to be transported for medical care for what the airport called "minor injuries."

The incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) and involved British Airways flight 2276, which was bound for London's Gatwick Airport, according to the McCarran International Airport's Twitter feed.

The Boeing 777 had 159 passengers and 13 crew members aboard at the time.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/08/us/las-vegas-british-airways-fire/index.html
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nicoarreman
Nico Arreman 1
Er zijn twee zaken die zeker onderzoek vragen;
1/ waarom duurde de evacuatie zo lang?
2/ waarom opende de bemanning, de voorste deur en activeerde de glijbaan, dicht bij de brandende motor?

There are two things that definitely ask research;
1 / why the evacuation took so long?
2 / why the crew opened the front door and activated the slide, close with the burning engine?
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
This reminds me of "British Airtours Flight 28M" where the engine basically came apart and plane caught fire.... Biggest difference that I see is BA only had 2 injuries with 159 souls on board, and British Airtours had 54 Dead and 82 Survivors. It would appear that all the new regulations and safety measures have paid off. It will be interesting to see what the cause was and I would say that the
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mattwestuk
Matt West 1
Sparkie - I agree. After that incident, one of the recommendations was that aircraft have emergency exit lighting/guidance. A similar incident with Air Canada flight 797 had a similar outcome and recommendations. So, while we may all chuckle as the cabin crew sweep their arms to show us where the lighting is, it is there for a reason and obviously serves a purpose.
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tedbrussels3001
tedbrussels3001 0
Really glad to see people got of this big wide bodied Boeing 777 and I thank the crew for such a great effort and the fire service. But why did it take them longer to get to the seen
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mattwestuk
Matt West 0
Anybody want to place a bet on how long it will take either "Seconds from Disaster" or "Air Crash Investigations" to sensationalize this? I'm guessing maybe 3 - 4 months!
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fedexman2
Eric Schmaltz 3
What's your point? I love the show and have watched each episode many,many times. I am not a pilot but love everything to due with modern aviation. I've spent many hours in my front yard with my trusty Nikons watching those beautiful jets fly over. Hate hearing about incidences like this but we learn from them and it makes flying safer for everybody!
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mattwestuk
Matt West 1
It seems I have offended without meaning to. I also love the show, but they did sensationalize the Qantas A380 incident with a Titanic in the Sky" episode (the plane did not go down), and ran an episode on the Air France crash before the wreckage had ever been found.

It was an attempt at humor that, unfortunately, fell flat. I have learnt much from their shows, and I am sure I will continue to do so.
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sparkie624
sparkie624 1
It will be longer than that.. They have to complete the investigation first before they can start taping... BTW, I very much enjoy those shows... As a Maintenance controller it gives good reasons to why I cannot tell you to reset a CB or to Trouble Shoot a system in flight... I think all airline pilots should watch the series from a training prospective. A lot of good info in there for the most part... A few things I do not agree with, but mostly I do.
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RandomX9
RandomX9 0
They are now saying two people were transported for minor injuries.
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olskhool478
Henry Arrington 0
Fire department did an excellent job in response time
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wx1996
wx1996 0
http://flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/24_hours/new/50402/British_Airways_Fire_in_Las_vegas
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iEliteXlI
Davon Grant 0
Yea on flightradar twitter
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apmac77
anthony mchale 0
The you tube link below is a good first hand video.
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vdi74
James T 0
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

PICTURES: Unclear whether BA 777 engine failure was contained

Photographs following the aborted take-off and engine fire of a British Airways Boeing 777-200 aircraft show severe damage to the powerplant and airframe, but it is unclear whether the jet suffered an uncontained failure.

Images taken from aft of the jet show that the aircraft’s left General Electric GE90-85B is heavily damaged, with hunks of debris peeled from the cowling.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-unclear-whether-ba-777-engine-failure-was-416536/
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[This poster has been suspended.]

mattwestuk
Matt West 6
It DID have GE engines:

"General Electric said the plane was powered by two of its GE90 engines and it would also send two of its technical experts to join the investigation"

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34200669
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[This poster has been suspended.]

mattwestuk
Matt West 3
Mike, I think all corporations fall victim to this at some point. Lately, GE has shed a lot of its extra-curricular activities to focus on its core competencies - to include aircraft engines, which will only benefit them.

I don't take offense to your original comment. We all have allegiances to certain manufacturers. While I am a RR guy, I would take GE over many other any day. They do make a quality product. At the end of the day, stuff happens, regardless of the manufacturer. We just have to look at the real, mechanical underlying reasons rather than just blaming who made it (and I'm looking at the Boeing / Airbus commentators with that statement!) :-)
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preacher1
preacher1 1
They are all out there with a quality product. In the 80's we got a new 757, but had to wait until 1986 on account of mx chief was partial to RR engines and it was then until they got some ETOPS certification. Others could have been had more quickly but as I said, it is a personal choice.
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mattwestuk
Matt West 1
Preacher, are you a former AA guy? The only reason I ask is that I remember reading that the only reason the RR engine actually made it to full production was because American ordered the engine be fitted to their 757s.

It's funny that sometimes one countries flagship carrier is the reason why an aircraft or engine can be successful. I'm always amazed that BA is the world's biggest operator of the 747. However, it shows that companies will go with what fits their business model the best, which is a benefit to all.
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andyc852
Andy Cruickshank 5
Probably should have had 'Murican pilots too!. Them Brits don't know how to fly an airplane (I am sure you are thinking).
Check your facts before you start typing.
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 2
Well if we can't stick it on Rolls Royce, it must be down to the maintenance. Don't suppose any of that was carried out in America do yer
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 4
I think you'll find they WERE GE engines. What makes you jump to the conclusion that they were Rolls Royce, you 'not invented here, if it aint a Boeing I aint going, redneck yank imbecile'.
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Paul1davis
Paul Davis 3
Yep G-VIIO most certainly did have GE90 engines.
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JerrySteinberg
Jerry Steinberg -1
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

British Airways Plane Catches Fire in Las Vegas

A British Airways jet had a fire Tuesday afternoon at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

The Boeing 777 was bound for London Gatwick as Flight 2276. No injuries were reported, according to a statement released by the airport....

http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler.com/2015/09/british-airways-plane-catches-fire-in-las-vegas/
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margeauxk
Margeaux K -1
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

777 Catches Fire at Las Vegas Airport

An engine on a London-bound British Airways jet caught fire yesterday while the plane was preparing to take off from Las Vegas, shooting flames from the side of the jet and forcing passengers to escape on emergency slides.

http://www.newser.com/story/212561/777-catches-fire-at-las-vegas-airport.html
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[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

THRUSTT
THRUSTT 5
You're a BLITHERING IDIOT!!!
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 2
Come on now, don't get upset. He can't possibly be an idiot.... He's a Pilot
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whip5209
Ken McIntyre 4
Clearly you have never been a fireman or fought an aviation fire in your life. Did it ever occur to you that airports are large? And firefighting vehicles are not formula I cars? And firefighters don't sit in their vehicles 24/7?
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n914wa
Mike Boote 6
I live in Las Vegas. The local report said the plane was cleared for takeoff at 4:13. The fire was out at 4:18. I'm satisfied that is good response. But don't take my word. Talk to the people who are all alive.
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30west
30west 6
Fernando, they don't sit in the trucks for their shift, for heaven's sake!

Let's see, on site in approximately two minutes after notification by the tower which alerted the CFR crews immediately (maybe prior) to the mayday call; 30-45 seconds to start rolling out of the fire station, two minutes or less to drive to the disabled jet and start applying foam.
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[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

30west
30west 7
Actually not, just an airline pilot who has first hand knowledge of evacuating over 120 pax due to very dense smoke in the cabin from a major electrical fault. Fortunately, it happen on the ground. DCA CFR crews were at the jet in about the same amount of time as those in LAS.

Well done to them! They don't need to hear your ranting about something you know very little and neither do people on this site.
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sparkie624
sparkie624 4
Geez, What is the problem... I mean really 2 minutes... That airport is not the smallest airport in the country you know, they got there as quick a they could and probably even missed the last 3 minutes of "I Love Lucy"...

You may want to look at the basic chain of events here... The Fire Department isn't necessarily watching CCTV of the entire airport waiting for a plane to abort take off and meet it as it happens.. It is more like:

1.) Plane Aborts Take Off and catches fire.
2.) Tower at some point notices the aborted take off and sees a small spark that turns into a fire.
3.) They then call the fire department: "Sorry to both you gents, but would you guys mind terribly and going out to check on the burning plane on the runway.
4.) Fire department gets in to the trucks and drive out to the plane
5.) Fire Department puts out fire.

Geez man... 2 Minutes is a pretty good response time.. Lets see you do better.
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[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

preacher1
preacher1 6
Your use of caps indicates shouting and your use of profanity, taking God's name in vain, has no place here.
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bbullock
Bill Bullock 3
The Caps lock is just under the Tab key. While we're at it, are you familiar with the cockpit layout?
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joelwiley
joel wiley 5
What would you expect for a normal response time, and how did you come up with that figure?
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sparkie624
sparkie624 5
Please don't shout... They responded as fast as they could... I mean, really, it is not like the airport has only 1 5000 foot runway, or someone had a primination and they were sitting there waiting for them to catch fire or something... Give them a break... You may need them sometime.
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FrankHarvey
Frank Harvey 5
Fernando, the report I heard was that the ARFF were at the a/c in just over 2 minutes of the Mayday. For me 2 (or even 3) minutes to get the equipment and personnel to an incident way out on an active runway of a major airport is close to miraculous and certainly praiseworthy.

What is your understanding of the call to arrival at the scene response time ?
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RRKen
Kenneth Schmidt 4
You are not being very realistic.
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