Spirit Airlines Flight 383 caught fire early Sunday as the commercial airliner landed at Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. No injuries were reported following the incident.
Local media have reported that the blaze erupted in the plane's left rear wheel after the aircraft's brakes overheated and caught fire. The incident unfolded at about 9:25 a.m. local time in Atlanta, Georgia. The Spirit flight had been incoming from Tampa, Florida.
Video taken by passengers initially shows several travelers in a panic after the first flames are spotted; however, additional footage from within the plane later noted calm was restored as officials urged individuals that the plane did not need to be immediately evacuated.
"Nobody knew what it was until we stopped completely in the middle of the landing strip,” passenger Scottie Nelms told Tampa's WTVT news station. “We saw a flame coming from the engine and people and myself started freaking out.”
Shortly after the blaze was extinguished, the plane was successfully towed to a designated gate, where passengers safely disembarked without incident.
In a statement to local media, a spokesperson for Spirit Airlines detailed that the plane would be removed from service for maintenance.
Airport officials have indicated that the tarmac setback did not impact any scheduled flights on the grounds.
The latest comes weeks after a Red Air plane caught fire when landing at Florida's Miami International Airport. Similar to the Sunday incident, the June mishap was also prompted by faulty landing gear.