A cargo plane of FedEx DC-10 catches fire on October 28 at Fort, Lauderdale, Florida Airport.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said that this was caused by the collapse of its landing gear, as reported by the Huffington Post. This led to the shutdown of the airport for hours that resulted to air traffic and delays.
Based on CNN reports, a witness recorded a video shot on how the tail section of the aircraft exploded as fireball and recorded the frightened screams of people who have witnessed the incident.
Mike Jachles of Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue said that the pilot and copilot escaped harm using a rope ladder on the right side of the aircraft, as further reported by CNN. He also affirmed that no members of the ground crews were hurt.
"We were initially told, although it's not confirmed, that the left gear might have collapsed, which might have caused the engine to hit the tarmac," Jachles said.
"There was a fuel leak and the fuel leak caught fire," he added.
The plane's exterior near the left wing and engine has the major damage. The interior of the plane seemed to be undamaged. The plane was carrying FedEx shipments and US Mail, as explained by CNN.
The fire occurred after the plane's landing gear collapsed as it touched the ground. Furthermore, Boeing MD-10 was operating as Flight 910 from Memphis, Tennessee, according to the FAA.
Moreover, Davina Cole, FedEx Services Senior Communications Specialist, said that the company was cooperating with authorities. On the other hand, Boeing has not yet responded to a request for comment.
According to CNN, the airport already reopened at 7 p.m. and was only using its south runway.
Broward Aviation spokesman Greg Meyer said, "The north runway will remain closed until further notice.
"The south runway can handle what we have right now," Meyer added, as reported in SunSentinel.
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