A passenger jet carrying 126 passengers caught on fire shortly after landing at Miami International Airport on Tuesday, leaving three people hospitalized with minor injuries. The Red Air Flight 203 from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, landed at about 5:30 p.m. when the front landing collapsed sparking the fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene to the airplane engulfed in flames after the landing gear malfunctioned. The plane skidded on the runway and stopped in a grassy area, but the firefighters were able to douse the fire and control the fuel spill after all passengers and crew were evacuated.
“When our fire crews arrived, they saw the wing of the aircraft was on fire. They quickly began working on putting out the fire utilizing specialized foam trucks,” Erika Benitez says, Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue spokeswoman.
RED Air is a new low-cost airline launched in November 2021 from the Dominican Republic. The company only offers service between its home base in Santo Domingo and Miami International Airport.
