CHICAGO – An American Airlines plane headed to Miami from Chicago caught on fire Friday afternoon on the runway, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.
American Airlines Flight 383 took off from O'Hare International Airport at 2:18 p.m. and was scheduled to land at Miami International Airport at 6:20 p.m.
Photos taken by people inside the airport show the plane engulfed in flames.
Officials said the fire on the right wing of the Boeing 767 was extinguished by firefighters, and was sparked from engine-related mechanical issues.
Passengers inside the plane said they heard a loud explosion before seeing flames.
Emergency inflatable slides were deployed and all passengers and crew were removed from the plane, the airline said.
American Airlines representative Alexis Aran Coello said 161 passengers and nine crew members were aboard the plane.
American Airlines said in a statement that it is fully cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation of Flight 383.
"We are operating a special flight tonight to take our customers to Miami," American Airlines said. "Twenty passengers and one flight attendant reported non-critical injuries."
The airline said several were taken to Chicago-area hospitals to be evaluated.
"Members of American's specially-trained employee volunteer CARE Team have been mobilized and dispatched to those hospitals, and Chicago O'Hare International Airport to provide assistance for our customers, crew members and their families," American Airlines said.
Coello said the passengers have been booked on another flight to Miami Friday night.
A ground stop was in effect at the airport until the scene is cleared.
***Warning: Expletives used in Instagram post by passenger after plane catches fire