China Air plane engine catches fire during landing, shoots smoke into cabin injuring 9

Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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Nearly a dozen passengers aboard a China Air flight suffered injuries after the plane's engine caught fire midair in China Sunday sending smoke into the jetliner's cabin, airport officials said.

Air China flight CA403, which departed from Chengdu in China's Sichuan province was in the process of landing just before 4 p.m. local time at Changi Airport in Singaore, when pilots reported smoke in the forward cargo hold and lavatory, Changi Airport announced on its Facebook page.

Pilots onboard the Airbus A320 jetliner carrying 146 passengers and nine crew members, declared an emergency and requested priority landing, airport officials wrote, and the plane landed on the runway in Singapore at 4:15 p.m.

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Emergency slides deployed, fire extinguished on ground

After landing, emergency slides of the aircraft were deployed and airport emergency personnel responded and put out a fire in the left engine of the jetliner.

All passengers and crew were evacuated and ferried by bus to the terminal, the airport reported.

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9 people injured

Nine passengers suffered minor injuries related to smoke inhalation and cuts during the evacuation process, the airport said.

"They have since been attended to," airport officials wrote. It was not immediately known if they were taken to hospitals. "Air China and Changi Airport Group are providing assistance to all passengers and crew."

Runway closed, cause of fire under investigation

The emergency landing shut down the runway for several hours Sunday diverting one plane to Batam, Indonesia, during closure.

The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau is investigating the incident, airport officials said, and has contacted its Chinese counterpart who will also reportedly investigate the fire.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior correspondent for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: China Air flight to Singapore catches fire midair, smoke injures 9