Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Philadelphia After Engine Fire

PHOTO: The United Express plane after its emergency landing in Philadelphia. (Brian Giordano/Facebook)

A plane headed for Newark, New Jersey, was forced to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia when one of the plane’s motors caught fire and shut down.

According to Annie McCormick of 6ABC.com, Republic Airlines Flight 4882—operating as United Air Express—was en route from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, to Newark when passengers heard a loud pop and saw flames coming out of the propeller engine compartment.

Engine sensors notified the pilots about the fire and potential issues and the crew shut down the propeller as a safety precaution.

Pilots decided that an emergency landing was necessary and brought the plane down for a safe landing at Philadelphia International Airport at around 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.

The official Twitter account of Philadelphia International Airport shared that all passengers on the aircraft were removed safely and no injuries were reported:

United Express Flight #4882 was diverted from Raleigh to Newark. All passengers have been evacuated and no injuries have been reported.

— PHLAirport (@PHLAirport) April 28, 2015

Steve Daniels of ABC11 shared an image on Twitter of the disabled plane after its emergency landing:

#BREAKING: Engine fire forces emergency landing of United flight 4882 RDU-Newark in Philadelphia. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/6wz7pDlTzj

— Steve Daniels (@DanielsABC11) April 28, 2015

When asked about the incident, one of the plane’s passengers, Brian Giordano, told McCormick, “It was a little tense because they prepped us for a crash. They went through the routine to make sure we knew how to position ourselves and if they called out 'brace, brace,' that's what we were supposed to do.”

While no injuries were reported, one passenger who had a history of heart issues was transported to Penn Presbyterian Hospital as a safety precaution. Many of the other passengers were able to board a bus to Newark International Airport in order to complete their trip.

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