Arsenal women’s team boarded a plane hours after the Champions League game but it caught fire on the runway before taking off.
The pilot had to abandon take-off due to a burning plane as a bird struck the engine. The team was scheduled to return from Germany on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, the team remained there for an additional day and flew back to London on Monday.
Read on to learn how the plane carrying Arsenal women’s team burst into flames and if anyone was injured in the accident.
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Arsenal women’s plane fire
Arsenal Women’s Team’s Plane Catches Fire on Runway
A plane carrying the Arsenal woman’s team back from their Champions League semi-final first-leg game started burning into flames on the runway on Sunday evening. The accident took place at the Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport just before the plane was set to take off.
A loud bang occurred as a bird flew into the engine causing the plane to catch fire. Flames immediately started to appear out of the left engine of the Boeing 737. Thus, the pilots quickly aborted the takeoff and evacuated the passengers for their safety.
Arsenal women’s team was scheduled to travel back to north London after earning a 2-2 draw against VfL Wolfsburg, the Fraun-Bundelisga reigning champions, at the Volkswagen Stadium on Sunday, April 23, 2023. However, the team had to stay in Germany throughout the day due to this unforeseen incident.
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Arsenal women’s team plane fire
Arsenal Release Statement on the Women’s Team’s Plane Fire
Arsenal has released an official statement regarding the incident where the plane carrying their women’s team caught fire and confirmed that all the players, coaches, and supporting staff are safe. They reached London with another flight on Monday.
“Our aircraft developed a technical issue prior to take-off in Germany on Sunday evening.
“As a result, we remained in Wolfsburg overnight on Sunday before flying back to England on Monday afternoon. We would like to thank the staff onboard the aircraft and on the ground at the airport for their assistance.’
The women’s team used a Maltese airline to fly to Germany on Saturday. They were set to fly back with the same airline the following evening. However, the incident forced them to change the arrangements and fly back on Monday morning.
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Arsenal women’s plane fire
How did the plane carrying Arsenal women’s team caught fire?
An airport spokesperson confirmed to a German news outlet Bild that a bird striking the engine ahead of the take-off was the cause behind the left engine of a Boeing 737 catching fire on Sunday. He further added that it was a completely unforeseen incident and can’t be avoided.
All the passengers including the Arsenal women’s team were safely evacuated from the plane. The take-off was aborted due to the flames coming out of the plane’s engine. The fire was controlled just in time and the plane will have to undergo minor repairs.
The Arsenal women’s team stayed in a hotel in Germany for an extra night due to the incident. They are now looking forward to the return leg against Wolfsburg scheduled for next week. The draw gave them a confidence boost after a poor start in the first half.
Was anyone injured in the incident?
No, everyone was safely evacuated from the plane after it caught fire. The condition of the bird that struck the engine was not known. The Arsenal women’s team and support staff were given a hotel to stay in Germany and they flew back to London on Monday morning.
Such accidents are pretty common on the runways. The good thing is that it didn’t cause any major tragedy and the situation was completely under control.
A similar incident also took place on Sunday which caused an American Airlines plane to return to Ohio airport just after taking off. A bird struck the engine and sparked a fire. A video of the incident is also going viral along with the pictures of team Arsenal’s mishap.
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