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'Catastrophic' Engine Failure Causes BA Jet Fire

The captain and crew of a UK-bound plane which burst into flames at Las Vegas Airport have been praised for their "textbook" response to the blaze.

The British Airways jet was on the runway and preparing for take-off when its left engine caught fire, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

In audio recordings, the jet's pilot is heard calmly asking air traffic control for fire crews before saying: "We are evacuating on the runway. We have a fire, I repeat, we are evacuating."

Firefighters stationed at the airport reached the Boeing (NYSE: BA - news) 777-200 two minutes after getting reports of flames, and within five minutes everyone inside the plane had escaped and the blaze was extinguished.

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Some 157 passengers along with 10 crew and three pilots got out using emergency slides shortly after 4pm (local time) on Tuesday following a "catastrophic" engine failure.

The captain has been named as Chris Henkey, from Reading, Berkshire, who has over four decades of flying experience with BA and was reportedly due to retire soon.

His ex-wife Marnie, who is a former cabin crew member and with whom he has a daughter, said: "He is safe and happy.

She (Munich: SOQ.MU - news) told the Guardian. "I've had some messages from him. He did a bloody good job."

Mr Henkey's daughter Charley revealed it was to be one of his last flights as a BA pilot.

She said she was "extremely emotional" after receiving a text from her father telling her there had been a "massive explosion".

She told the Reading Chronicle: "I think the most emotional part is that I am just so proud of him."

Aviation expert Julian Bray paid tribute to the way the passengers were guided to safety.

He said: "It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) was a textbook emergency evacuation under difficult conditions because that smoke was thick, black and acrid."

Timeline Of BA Jet Fire Evacuation

Jacob Steinberg, who was on the flight, said the captain told passengers there had been a "catastrophic" engine failure.

Passengers explained how the flight crew suddenly ordered them to evacuate the plane as they realised an engine had burst into flames.

McCarran International Airport confirmed all passengers and crew had made it off the plane, which was bound for Gatwick, and been taken back to the terminal by bus.

The captain was reportedly applauded by passengers when he spoke to them in the safety of the building.

Footage from the scene shows some passengers walking or running from the plane clutching hand luggage, despite air safety messages saying to leave everything on board so as to get off an aircraft as quickly as possible in an emergency.

Aviation lecturer Dr Stephen Wright of the University of Leeds said the ideal was to have all passengers out within 90 seconds.

He added: "Everything you own is replaceable and yet we see, time after time, that when an evacuation is commanded, passengers naturally wish to bring their personal belongings with them."

Former pilot and former head of flight operations Mike Vivian told Sky News that what happened to the British Airways plane is "very, very rare" and that the Boeing 777-200 is "a very successful aircraft".

He added: "I'm reluctant to speculate (what happened). But clearly this is a combination of an engine and fuel that has ignited and sometimes you have these massive blades inside that disintegrate but, beyond that, it's probably unwise to go further.

"The pilots are mentally prepared for this eventuality, however rare it is. It is a very well-rehearsed routine with both the cabin crew and the pilots (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) ."