Passengers jump onto B737 wing after flames came out of the engine: Russia's Utair
When they spotted the flames, panic gripped passengers and rushed out of their seats
Some passengers jumped off a commercial plane when they saw fire coming out of the engine as it was getting ready to take off.
The engine of the Boeing 737 operated by Russia's Utair spewed out fire as it was being pushed back from the terminal prior to take off.
A video showing the incident shared on Instagram was taken by a passenger while a flight attendant can be heard delivering safety instructions over the loudspeaker.
When they spotted flames coming out of one of the plane’s engines, three passengers — two men and a woman seated in the emergency exit row — reportedly opened the emergency exit and climbed out onto the wing.
The Utair Boeing 737 was being pushed back for a flight from Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport to Makhachkala, in the southwest of Russia, when the engine was seen spewing out fire a few moments before a scheduled takeoff.
When passengers saw flames bursting out from the right engine, they demanded that the flight be stopped. Cabin crew assured the passengers this was “normal,” according to local media reports.
According to the airline, an "airflow interruption" caused the fire while the turbine was revving up before takeoff.
No one was injured. All 202 passengers, including crew members, were moved to another aircraft.
The passengers were reportedly detained for questioning.
Utair is a Russian airline with its head office at Khanty-Mansiysk Airport, while its hubs are at Surgut International Airport and Vnukovo International Airport.