A fire broke out on a LATAM Airlines plane at Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport on Monday morning, moments before it was due to take off for the northern city of Piura. Passengers were evacuated, and no injuries have been reported.
Flight LA2302 suffered what the airline called an “unforeseen technical event.” According to Peru’s state news agency Andina, video shows smoke coming from the left wing, which then caught fire seconds before takeoff. Airport firefighters put out the flames, and passengers were taken off the plane as a precaution.
A passenger told ATV that the pilot announced takeoff and the engines throttled up just before the fire started. The captain then told passengers over the intercom that the takeoff had been stopped because of a problem with the left landing gear.
LATAM said it was rebooking affected passengers and that the aircraft would undergo a technical inspection. The cause has not been determined. The airport said operations continued as normal.
