Passengers on a JetBlue Airways flight had to evacuate the aircraft via the emergency slides at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when one of its engines caught fire, according to a Federal Aviation Administration statement.
According to a JetBlue spokesperson, there were no known injuries among the 186 passengers and six crew members on board that had to use the slides to escape. The aircraft was taxing to the runway when the engine problems started. The flight was headed to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
"I was in the window seat in the first row and heard an enormous boom," said first-row passenger Raymond Talavera, "I looked back and I was able to see the engine basically exploded - smoke everywhere." Talavera says that the passengers that were on board the flight were transferred to the terminal after evacuating the plane before being put on to a later flight.
Passengers arriving in New York on Sunday morning recounted their ordeal. "People started screaming, and people were trying to bust open the emergency exit with their arms. The flight attendants came and held everybody back," said James Schiano, Jr.
The FAA have said an investigation is already underway.