Photo: Miami Dade Fire and Rescue
Passengers on a flight from the Dominican Republic to Miami were shaken up Tuesday when their plane made a hard landing and caught fire.
The Miami International Airport also saidin a tweetthat the landing gear collapsed, noting that it occurred “in the nose of the plane.”
Three people were taken to local hospitals, according to Benitez and tweets fromMiami Dade Fire and Rescueand Miami MayorDaniella Levine Cava.
“At Red Air, we express our absolute solidarity with the passengers and crew of the aircraft,” the airline said in its statement on Twitter.
Footage of the plane via Miami Dade Fire and Rescue shows significant damage to the nose of the plane as well as its left wing.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
Another passenger, Yamil Elneser, said a wheel on the left side of the plane flew off, which led to some scary moments.
Miami Dade Fire and Rescue
“We were bumping from side to side and all the windows break, and then everything’s fine,” Garcia recalled. “Then the people start running and running and I jump and start running because there was fire and all that.”
Though he ultimately felt “safe,” Delgado told the outlet “it was a terrible experience.”
“It happened, like, one minute,” he explained, “and then you could see all the officers through the window doing their jobs.”
In addition to getting the blaze under control, crews also “mitigated a fuel spillage from the aircraft,” Miami Dade Fire and Rescue tells PEOPLE.
Several agencies are now investigating the incident. The FAA confirmed in its statement to PEOPLE that it is among them.
The Dominican Republic Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) is also conducting an investigation, according to RedAir’s statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NSTB) will be at the scene on Wednesday, according toa tweetfrom the board.
source: people.com
