CHICAGO -- At least 9 people were hurt, two seriously, when a plane caught fire at O'Hare International Airport Friday afternoon.
The FAA said the pilot of American Airlines Flight 383 bound for Miami reported a blown tire and was forced to abort takeoff. When the pilot aborted takeoff and returned to the runway, the fire broke out on the right-wing engine of the Boeing 767 plane.
Emergency inflatable slides were deployed. American Airlines said all 161 passengers and 9 crew members were able to evacuate the plane.
Passenger Hector Cardenas said the plane was seconds away from taking off when he heard an explosion. Large flames and a plume of black smoke could be seen rising from the aircraft.
"Within 10 or 15 seconds we would have been in the air," Cardenas said.
The fire was extinguished. Three runways remain closed at O'Hare.
ABC7 Doppler 7 MAX picked up the smoke plume from the plane fire on radar.
Stay tuned to ABC7 Eyewitness News and ABC7Chicago.com for more on this breaking news story.