The brakes on a Spirit Airlines flight caught fire after landing at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday, but no one was injured in the incident and it did not impact any other flights or airport operations, NPR reported.
Many passengers on board the flight were alarmed by the situation outside as firefighters put out the flames billowing from the belly of the plane after its brakes overheated and caught fire.
Videos on Twitter from inside the aircraft showed passengers getting up from their seats to look out the windows as the crew urged them to stay seated.
"If the pilot gives us the command to evacuate we will evacuate, but please remain seated right now and keep the aisle ways clear," the crew said over the intercom. "If we do have to evacuate, please just leave your bags. We will let you know. Please remain seated."
Once the fire was extinguished, the plane was towed to a gate and passengers safely disembarked, according to NPR.
A Spirit spokesperson told Business Insider that the plane, which flew in from Tampa, Florida, will be temporarily removed for maintenance.
Passenger Scottie Nelms described the panic on the flight to Fox 5, saying: "Once we landed, it made a weird noise from the left side of the plane. Nobody knew what it was until we stopped completely in the middle of the landing strip. We saw a flame coming from the engine and people and myself started freaking out."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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