American Airlines MD-80 engine fire prompts emergency landing

September 29, 2007 An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-80 carrying 142 people was forced to return to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport after an engine caught fire shortly after takeoff. Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) personnel doused down the number one engine upon landing with foam.

American Airlines Flight 140 had departed the airport at 1:03 p.m. on a scheduled domestic passenger flight to Chicago, but had developed the fire, coming back to land at 1:40 p.m. The aircraft was stopped on the runway, where it was met by ARFF crews, who extinguished the fire. None of the 137 passengers, three cabin crew and two pilots were injured, and they subsequently walked to the terminal. American Airlines have stated that their maintenance department will investigate the accident in an attempt to determine what sparked the fire. Federal inspectors from the National Transportation Safety Board will also investigate the accident, with at least two investigators dispatched, including a specialist in jet engines.