The incident occurred at Los Angeles International Airport on 18/7, but information and footage were only released on 20/7.
"Flight DL446 returned to Los Angeles shortly after departure due to a problem detected in the left engine. Nothing is more important than the safety of our passengers and crew, so the pilots followed procedure and returned safely. We apologize to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans," a Delta Air Lines spokesperson said.
Video taken from the ground shows flames erupting from the underside of the Boeing 767's left engine as the aircraft retracted its landing gear and gained altitude. "Oh my god, what is happening? We're all going to die," Josh, a witness, said in the video.
The plane landed safely after about 40 minutes. The fire appeared to be extinguished by the time the Boeing 767 touched down. Numerous fire trucks were deployed around the aircraft as it taxied on the runway.
There were 9 crew members and 226 passengers on board, according to Delta Air Lines. After landing, passengers were transferred to another flight to continue their journey.
Firefighters and Delta Air Lines' maintenance team inspected the aircraft after the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating. The cause of the incident has not been released.
Huyen Le (Theo Fox News, People)
