FedEx plane catches fire at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Channel: Nils Hesse
Date: 2016-10-28

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A FedEx plane caught fire Friday afternoon at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Broward Sheriff's Office Department of Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles said firefighters were called to the airport shortly before 6 p.m. after smoke was seen coming from the plane.The fire has since been extinguished.

According to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen, the landing gear on the DC-10 aircraft collapsed, causing a fire as the plane was rolling on Runway 10 Left.

"I think the pilot did a pretty good job of keeping it close to the runway, but of course you can see the ball of fire and with all that fuel, that was a pretty big explosion," Stephen Lloyd, former safety director for the FAA, said.

Bergen said the plane had just arrived from Memphis, Tennessee.

She said both pilots escaped from the plane.

A ground stop is in effect at the airport until Fire Rescue clears the scene