A passenger plane caught fire after landing at Miami International Airport Tuesday. The plane’s landing gear collapsed as it approached the runway, and at least three people were injured in the subsequent fire, reports CBS News.
There were 126 people on board the Red Air flight from Las Américas International Airport in the Dominican Republic to Miami, Florida.
Miami-Dade Aviation Department communication director Greg Chin said that three people suffered minor injuries in the crash landing and the ensuing fire. They were taken to the hospital, while the rest of the passengers and crew were bussed to the terminal.
A video posted online shows flames and smoke billowing out from near the wing of the aircraft. Firefighters from the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue were seen working to extinguish the flames.#RedAir MD80 just caught fire after landing at MIA airport
All passengers look to be safe as they exited the plane pic.twitter.com/go66ozwRSX
— zalmy cohen (@emalevin) June 21, 2022
WSVN 7 News reported that the MD-82 jetliner collided with several objects in its path as it steered off the runway upon landing. As it made its way to a grassy area of the airport, the plane took down a small building and a communications/radar tower that was in its path.
In visuals shared online, the tower could be seen wrapped around the right wing of the plane.
Repost from @wsvn
•BREAKING: A plane arriving from Santo Domingo at Miami International Airport caught on fire after it made a crash landing, tearing through a communications tower and a small building. pic.twitter.com/AaQnVrxTOA
— _ (@_D_190) June 21, 2022
It is not clear if the problem with the plane’s landing gear occurred before or after it landed.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have launched an investigation into the incident.