MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – More than 100 passengers had to evacuate a plane after gear collapsed from its nose during landing and caused a fire on Tuesday at a Miami International Airport runway.
Three of the 126 people aboard the RED Air SRL 203 arriving from the Dominican Republic suffered minor injuries, according to Greg Chin, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.
Alfredo Machado, one of the RED Air SRL 203 passengers, told ABC News that he felt the plane was shaking and heard a loud noise during the landing.
“Something sounded like something broke or something gave up and the plane went down on the left side and started spinning and we went to the grass,” Machado said. “After that, we saw smoke and flames and we got out of the plane through the emergency exit on the window, on top of the wings, and then from the wing, down.”
A witness recorded a video showing some of the passengers were screaming and crying as dark smoke billowed. Firefighters quickly shot a white foam to extinguish the flames.
“Fire crews arrived to find one of the wings of the aircraft on fire,” said Erika Benitez, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.
The National Transportation Safety Board identified the plane as an MD-82 jetliner. The Federal Aviation Administration reported the McDonnell Douglas airliner’s landing gear collapsed. Chin said flights were delayed and a bus took the passengers and crew to the MIA terminal.
The flight arrived at MIA from Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo’s Punta Caucedo, according to the FAA. It departed at 3:36 p.m., and it landed at 5:38 p.m., 42 minutes late, according to FlightAware.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue started to dispatch units at 5:39 p.m., the active calls record shows. A surveillance camera facing the airport showed dark smoke rising shortly after 5:45 p.m., near the Dolphin Expressway at Northwest 57th Avenue.
After extinguishing the fire, firefighters also worked to contain the fuel spillage. By 9:15 p.m., MDFR had dispatched 45 units to deal with the plane at MIA. The NTSB announced that a federal team will continue the investigation on Wednesday.
Related social media
Red Air #203 from Santo Domingo had its landing gear in the nose of the plane collapse, which seems to have caused a fire. @MiamiDadeFire responded & extinguished the fire. Some flights have been delayed as a result. Please follow up with your airline for the latest flight info. pic.twitter.com/06Vs8WuqIB
— Miami Int'l Airport (@iflymia) June 21, 2022
NTSB is sending a team of investigators to Miami following today's gear collapse and runway excursion of an MD-82 jetliner at Miami International Airport. Investigators will arrive on scene tomorrow.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) June 21, 2022
#MDFR is on scene of an aircraft fire at @iflyMIA. Fire crews have placed the fire under control and are mitigating fuel spillage. All souls on board have been assessed for injuries. A total of 3 patients have been transported to local area hospitals. pic.twitter.com/hMP68ncJ4s
— Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (@MiamiDadeFire) June 21, 2022
A plane arriving at @iflyMIA from Santo Domingo, DR caught on fire following a landing gear malfunction. I have just arrived on the scene and am being briefed by @MiamiDadeFire.
— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) June 22, 2022
Three passengers were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/VblnGmdLhq
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Emily Hales contributed to this report.