A Delta Air Lines flight with 201 passengers, two pilots, and five flight attendants was evacuated at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport Friday morning due to an engine issue during takeoff. “During takeoff, something went wrong, and the engine caught fire,” passenger James told CNN. The Boeing 757 aborted takeoff at 9:10 a.m., prompting an urgent evacuation.
Delta confirmed the crew “followed established procedures to abort the takeoff” for Flight 2668 bound for Minneapolis-St. Paul after detecting an engine issue. While officials didn’t confirm a fire, passenger video showed smoke near the plane. Allison Wade, filming during the evacuation, said, “This is crazy. Now we’re all just standing here in Atlanta… in the snow.”
Four passengers sustained minor injuries; one was hospitalized, and three were treated on-site. The incident occurred amid snowy weather, which caused over 400 flight cancellations at Atlanta Airport and more than 2,500 nationwide by Friday morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate, while the National Transportation Safety Board said it is monitoring the situation but hasn’t launched a formal inquiry.