A Red Air flight departed from the Dominican Republic with 126 passengers and 11 crew members on board which was arriving into Miami International Airport on Tuesday around 5:30pm had the landing gear collapsing when it touched down at the airport and a fire ignited. One of the wings was on fire. Smoke poured from the back of the plane as is stopped on a grassed area just off the runway beside the tarmac. Emergency services rushed to the scene, with fire rescue crews using foam to quickly extinguish the blaze. At least three firefighting vehicles were positioned nearby. Emergency slides were deployed to evacuate passengers. Only three people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. “Fire crews have placed the fire under control and are mitigating fuel spillage,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in a statement.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident. The Dominican Institute of Civil Aeronautics would also be investigating. Red Air, which is based out of the Dominican Republic, announced earlier this month that it would be increasing flights between Santo Domingo and Miami up to three times a day beginning on July 25, according to Dominican Today. The airline only began flying earlier this year and operates a fleet consisting of three McDonnell Douglas MD-82s and one McDonnell Douglas MD-81. It intends to acquire Boeing 737, 767 and Airbus A330 aircraft as part of its expansion plans.
