NTSB video shows passenger chaos after 2016 O'Hare plane fire
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Passengers aboard an American Airlines 767 that suffered an engine failure and fire last year climbed over seats and pressured flight attendants to evacuate the plane as the second engine continued to run.
The National Transportation Safety Board released its findings Thursday into the engine fire on Miami-bound Flight 383 as it rolled down a runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Oct. 28. Investigators have not yet determined what caused the blaze.
PHOTOS: NTSB released images of damage to interior of plane
New video released by the NTSB shows passengers rushing to get out of the plane, climbing over middle seats after being told to stay seated. A catastrophic right engine failure sends shrapnel flying and flames shooting from the wing of the plane.
The video shows some of the first passengers down the slide being blown around by the engine's thrust. One is thrown to the ground of the O'Hare runway, not far from the raging fire.
Then as the rear slide is deployed it is blown around by the engine's exhaust as well. Nearly a minute and a half passed before that second engine was shut down.
"We will learn something about how to evacuate airplanes better, we will learn something about emergency procedures on airplanes, so there's always good lessons to be learned," said Col. Stephen Ganyard, ABC News aviation consultant.
The NTSB reports passengers said they heard a loud bang during takeoff. Flames were detected almost immediately. The report indicates passengers moved from the right side of the plane to the left, shouting at flight attendants to open emergency doors as the plane came to a halt and the cabin filled with smoke. The evacuation effort was hindered by the undamaged engine still running.
Twenty people were injured in the evacuation, but everyone survived. The NTSB released hundreds of pages of information from its investigation, which may prompt changes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
