United Airlines passengers film moment plane evacuated after fire spotted

Videos showing a United Airlines flight bound for New York from Texas being evacuated after a flame was seen near a wing have gone viral on social media.

The incident took place on United Airlines Flight 1382, which was headed from Houston to LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Sunday. The ​​Airbus A319 plane was carrying 104 passengers and five crew members.

The plane “safely aborted its takeoff” from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport “due to a reported engine issue” at 8:35 a.m. local time on Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement to Newsweek.

“There are no reported injuries at this time,” United Airlines told Newsweek in statement, noting that passengers were deplaned and taken back to the terminal.

The HFD said Sunday in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that its airport rescue firefighters were on the scene to assist “after a departing plane reported an issue on the runway.”

“HFD assisted in deboarding the plane. No injuries have been reported at this time,” the post added.

A department spokesperson told Newsweek: “When HFD arrived at the aircraft, there was no fire.” No part of the aircraft was on fire, and the flame spotted on the wing of the plane was coming from the back of engine. The cause of the engine issue is being investigated, United Airlines told Newsweek.

Why It Matters

The United Airlines flight incident comes just days after two deadly plane crashes. Last week, an American Airlines flight traveling to Washington, D.C., collided with a U.S. military helicopter over the Potomac River. Sixty-seven people were killed, making it the deadliest incident for U.S. aviation in nearly a quarter of a century.

Meanwhile, this past Friday seven people were killed and 19 injured after a medical jet crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood.

What To Know

The United Airlines plane was on the runway at the airport in Houston when passengers noticed a flame near one of the wings.

“During takeoff, United flight 1382 received an indication about one engine and halted the takeoff while still on the runway,” United told Newsweek. “We lined up a different aircraft to take customers to their destination at 2:00 p.m. CT.”

A video from TikTok user @blondieashlynnn, which has received 2.8 million views since it was posted on Sunday, begins with a woman on a plane looking at the camera with her hand held over her mouth as a flight staff member is heard saying, “You cannot take your bags with you.” The video then shows the flame near the plane wing.

Another staff announcement is later heard saying, “Please remain seated,” as another voice says, “No, it’s on fire.” Then the clip shows an image of a man going down an inflatable slide on the side of the aircraft. Passengers are later shown standing around on the airport tarmac.

Another video, posted by @theoriginalambernicole and receiving 2.8 million views, shows a view from the airport runway of passengers disembarking the plane via the inflatable slides. “Just had to evacuate the plane,” an off-camera voice says as the clip shows various vehicles driving toward the aircraft.

Newsweek has contacted @blondieashlynnn via email and @theoriginalambernicol via TikTok for comment.

What People Are Saying

A caption on the post from @theoriginalambernicole says: “Counting my blessings a little more today. What is going on in the world of aviation!!??”

A caption on the post from @blondieashlynnn reads: “What is going on with all the planes in the US right now.”

What Happens Next

“The FAA will investigate” the Houston incident, the agency told Newsweek.

United is also investigating the incident, the airline told Newsweek.