Delta Aircraft Suffers Engine Fire After Takeoff
A Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300 departing from São Paulo Guarulhos Airport en route to Atlanta experienced a serious engine failure shortly after takeoff. Loud explosion noises were heard from the left engine, which reportedly caught fire, while debris falling from the aircraft ignited a grass fire near the runway.
The aircraft, operating flight DL104 and registered as N813NW, decided to return shortly after departure. Air traffic control informed the pilots that a fire had been observed on the aircraft, and it landed safely on the departure runway approximately 10 minutes later.
There were 288 people on board at the time of the incident. Initial assessments have considered a possible bird strike, though this has not yet been confirmed.
Airport ARFF teams responded both to the grass fire and the aircraft. Following the incident, operations at São Paulo Guarulhos Airport were temporarily suspended, and the Delta aircraft remained on the runway pending further inspections.
