The news still tells us about an accident that occurred on American territory, fortunately without consequences: yesterday morning, February 2, 2025, the passengers of United Airlines flight 1382, operated with an Airbus A-319 at the intercontinental airport "George Bush" in Houston and headed to "LaGuardia Airport" in New York, experienced moments of panic when a fire apparently broke out in one of the two engines shortly before takeoff. Thanks to the promptness of the crew and the timely intervention of the firefighters, all passengers (104 people plus 5 crewmembers) were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the plane's crew aborted the takeoff procedure around 8:35 am after detecting a problem with an engine. Numerous videos posted on social media by passengers on board show the plane's engine on fire and a column of smoke visible from the right wing of the plane. The videos also reveal moments of panic among passengers, who used emergency slides to quickly leave the plane. According to the Houston Fire Department, the evacuation was without incident. Later images show passengers gathered on the runway, visibly shaken but unharmed.

Airport emergency crews responded quickly, putting out the flames before they could spread further. The case is now the subject of an FAA investigation. The initial hypothesis seems to indicate a malfunction of the engine among the causes, but further technical investigations will be necessary to confirm this reconstruction.

According to experts, engine fires during taxiing are rare, but not unprecedented. Similar events, such as the engine fire on a United Airlines Boeing 777 in 2021, have prompted authorities and manufacturers to tighten checks on specific engine components. Investigations may also lead to new recommendations to further improve safety standards. However, it should be noted that air transport is still one of the safest industries in the world, thanks to increasingly rigorous standards and well-tested protocols.

Below, one of the videos, in this case released by WCNC: