A Spirit Airlines aircraft landing at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday morning caused some alarm for passengers on board when one of the plane’s brakes overheated, ignited and started smoking.
First responders hosed off the aircraft’s tires and the plane was towed to gate D2, where passengers on Flight 383 from Tampa were able to safely disembark from the plane, according to Spirit spokesman Erik Hofmeyer. He said there were no injuries.
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” Hofmeyer said. “We really appreciate the first responders.”
The incident caused some concern on board, and a passenger posted a video on Twitter of passengers being told over the intercom to stay seated and that they did not have to evacuate.
Atlanta Fire & Rescue put out the fire, and operations at the airport have not been impacted by the incident, according to Hartsfield-Jackson.
The plane is being temporarily taken out of service for maintenance, and Spirit will ferry in a replacement plane for the next flight that aircraft was due to fly, Hofmeyer said.
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