British Airtours Jet Catches Fire at Airport
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LONDON — A British Airtours jet caught fire at London’s Gatwick Airport Saturday just before takeoff, but the blaze was extinguished automatically, the airline said, and no one was injured.
The Lockheed Tristar jet with 393 passengers aboard was about to leave for Majorca when the accident occurred. Passengers left the plane through the normal exits as fire crews stood on alert.
Fifty-four persons died when a Boeing 737 owned by the same company, a subsidiary of British Airways, caught fire last month at Manchester airport.
A company spokesman described Saturday’s incident as “very minor.” He said some engine fuel had collected in the tailpipe during the plane’s start-up.
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