LATAM plane catches fire before takeoff at Lima airport
Videos circulating online show smoke and flames coming from the aircraft’s left wing
A LATAM Airlines Perú flight bound for Piura was disrupted on Monday after a fire was reported around the aircraft’s left engine and wing area shortly before takeoff at Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport.
Flight LA2302 was preparing to depart on October 19 when the incident occurred. Airport firefighters responded and extinguished the flames, while passengers were taken off the aircraft as a precaution.
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The airline described the incident as an “unforeseen technical event”. The cause has not been determined.
Videos circulating online appeared to show smoke coming from the aircraft’s left wing before flames broke out.
A passenger told ATV that the pilot had announced takeoff and the engines had powered up shortly before the fire started.
The passenger also said the captain later told those on board that the takeoff had been aborted because of a problem with the left landing gear, ATV reported.
LATAM said it was assisting affected passengers and arranging alternative flights. The aircraft is due to undergo a technical inspection to establish what happened.
Airport authorities said operations continued as normal following the incident.
