An American Airlines plane has caught fire on the runway of Chicago’s O’Hare airport while taking off. The Boeing 767 bound for Miami blew a tyre and damaged an engine, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.
The pilot aborted the take-off and evacuated everyone on board via emergency chutes as black smoke billowed from the plane.
Seven passengers and a flight attendant were slightly injured and taken to hospital, the airline said.
Nine crew members and 161 passengers were on board.
“We are taking care of our customers and crew members and are re-accommodating our passengers on another flight to Miami this evening,” the American Airlines statement said.
The incident took place at 14:35 local time (19:35 GMT).
At 15:00, fire service officials announced that the fire was out.
Meanwhile, a FedEx plane caught fire at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airport after its landing gear collapsed on landing, the FAA said.
