A small fire ignited by a laptop erupted on an American Airlines flight last Friday before the plane had even left the gate in San Francisco. The crew tried to conduct a calm evacuation of the Airbus A321 as the cabin filled with smoke, but chaos ensued as passengers frantically pushed and shoved their way to the exits. One passenger, in an effort to mitigate the situation, threw the burning computer onto the tarmac.
The incident, which injured three people, began when a laptop inside a bag stored under a seat caught fire. Oliver Jankai, the passenger seated there, recounted the experience to WFOR, mentioning that he smelled burning just before the fire started. The evacuation quickly turned into a stampede, with passengers ignoring instructions and attempting to take their belongings with them.
As smoke filled the back of the cabin, Jankai decided to act. Unable to locate a fire extinguisher, his son Jan opened an emergency exit to allow fresh air in. Jankai then grabbed the burning bag and threw it out of the plane after initially being advised against it by a flight crew member.
“Despite the directive against it, I decided to hurl the burning bag out of the plane,” Jankai told WFOR.
All passengers on the flight to Miami were rescheduled to another flight the following day. Fortunately, no one was injured, despite the disorderly evacuation. This incident underscores the importance of following safety protocols during evacuations to ensure everyone can exit safely.
In comparison, the evacuation of Japan Airlines Flight 516 stands out. In January, the JAF Airbus A350 collided with a Japanese Coast Guard plane while landing at Haneda Airport. The evacuation was executed efficiently, with all 367 passengers and 12 crew members exiting the plane in 18 minutes under potentially more dangerous conditions.