Terrifying moment 747 cargo jet’s engine shoots out flames as it landed at East Midlands airport with a loud bang
- Flames erupted from back of one of Kalitta Air jet’s engines as it touched down at East Midlands Airport
- American cargo plane flew in from Leipzig in Germany yesterday and made a huge noise as it landed
- Flashes of orange could be seen reflecting off its side as it came to a halt – but nobody was injured
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This is the dramatic moment flames burst out of a Boeing 747 cargo plane as it landed in Britain with a loud bang.
Flames erupted from the back of one of the Kalitta Air jet’s engines as it touched down at East Midlands Airport yesterday afternoon after flying in from the German city of Leipzig.
The aircraft was said to have made a huge noise as it landed, and flashes of orange could be seen reflecting off its side as it came to a halt on the runway – but nobody was injured in the incident.
Flames erupted from the back of one of the Kalitta Air jet’s engines as it touched down at East Midlands Airport yesterday
The aircraft was said to have made a huge noise as it landed, and flashes of orange could be seen reflecting off its side
With the flames eventually under control, plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the back of the jet’s engine as it stood on the Tarmac at the airport, which is near Castle Donington in Leicestershire.
It is not yet known what caused the fire and explosion, but one witness claimed the engine ‘ingested something’ as it hit the ground – with others speculating that a bird may have got caught in the engine.
Sources told MailOnline that reports of a tyre bursting were untrue, and that the photographs showed a ‘flash’ – similar to that which is seen coming out of the exhaust of a Formula One car.
The plane is now being inspected by the American cargo airline’s engineers at the airport after what was described as a ‘technical issue’. The airport confirmed its staff were not required to assist.
The aircraft was said to have made a huge noise as it landed yesterday following a flight from the German city of Leipzig
Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the back of the jet’s engine yesterday as it stood on the Tarmac at the airport
An East Midlands Airport spokesman said: ‘A 747 cargo aircraft belonging to Kalitta Air is currently being inspected by the airline’s engineers following reports that it developed a technical issue upon landing at East Midlands Airport yesterday afternoon. The flight operated safely into EMA and no action was required from airport staff.’
Kalitta Air is a US cargo airline based at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The carrier has six main global hubs at Leipzig, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles, Cincinnati in Ohio and Anchorage in Alaska.
Airlines including Aer Lingus, Jet2 and Ryanair all use East Midlands Airport, along with holiday operators such as Tui, Newmarket and P&O. The airport was originally an RAF base before being turned into a civilian airport in 1965.
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