Video of Delta Airlines Plane on Fire at Sea-Tac Airport Has People Shook
Between the whole ongoing Boeing debacle and a fair bit of weirdness with United Airlines earlier this spring, 2024 has had an unfortunately high number of bizarre airline incidents, from exploding door plugs to loose landing gear to the odd airplane fire. Most of the plane fires I'd written about were either engine fires or a result of something igniting inside the cabin- that is, until this bizarre accident, when the nose of a Delta Airlines plane spotaneously ignited at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport earlier this month!
Security footage from the airport, shared here by @dailymail, showed the moment that the Delta Airlines plane suddenly caught fire near the nose, directly underneath the cockpit. According to Seattle's KING 5 News, sparks erupted after the plane plugged into electric power, igniting a white-hot electrical fire right outside the airport gate.
The incident, which happened on the evening of May 6, occurred just after the plane arrived at Sea-Tac Airport from Cancun, Mexico, with all passengers and crew members still on board. Emergency slides were deployed, and all persons on board evacuated expediently while the fire quickly fizzled out. Fire crews arrived on the scene soon after, but according to KING 5 news, the fire died out one minute before they arrived.
What Caused the Fire at Sea-Tac Airport?
Just to dispel any notions or suspicions right out of the gate: no, the plane in question was not a Boeing aircraft. KING 5 identified the plane as an Airbus A321neo, a brand-new model less than two years old.
However, the model of the plane matters little in this case, because it would seem that the fault wasn't with the plane at all. A Sea-Tac spokesperson told KOMO News that the electric fire started because of a short in the electric cord that had been plugged into the plane, which has since been repaired. Delta soon after confirmed the stated cause of the fire in an official statement:
"During deplaning Monday evening, the crew of Flight 604 from Cancun to Seattle witnessed smoke in the aircraft nose area after plugging into ground electrical power. Out of an abundance of caution, slides were deployed and passengers still on board deplaned via the rear of the aircraft... All passengers have exited to customs in the International Arrivals Facility for regular processing. The aircraft has been removed from service for inspection and maintenance."
Phew. In a year full of bizarre airplane accidents attributable to terrible manufacturing standards and questionable airline maintenance practices, it's almost pleasant to learn of an airplane emergency where the plane itself wasn't at fault for once. No need to start stressing out over the safety of Airbus A321neos... yet. Man... it has been a bizarre year for the aviation industry, and we're not even halfway through it!
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