Aircraft catches fire after crashing into communications tower at Miami Airport

An incident at Miami International Airport has seen an aircraft crash into a communications tower and catch fire.

An aircraft believed to have been carrying around 140 passengers, with 11 crew, has crash-landed at Miami International Airport in Florida this evening, Tuesday, June 21. At least four people are thought to have been injured, including three transferred to hospital, according to South Florida news station wsvn.com.

The incident occurred at around 5:30pm local time (10:30 UK time) as the plane was making its landing after a flight from the Dominican Republic capital city of Santo Domingo. Initial reports suggest the aircraft’s landing gear developed a problem, although it is not clear if this was before or after the accident.

According to eyewitnesses at what is one of America’s busiest airport facilities, the Red Air MD-82 plane made a bumpy landing and crashed into several objects on the runway, before veering off into the grass. It reportedly collided with a communications tower as well as another smaller building.

After connecting with the tower, the place caught fire with emergency services quickly dealing with the flames. “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”, said a Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue services statement.

WSVN reported that the communications tower was ‘taken out’ as the plane hit it. An operation to clean up the runway was ongoing, with two runways on the southern side of the airport remaining closed.

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