Jet Backfires, Passengers Flee

Frightened by a flash of flame from a backfiring jet engine, some passengers aboard a parked Mexicana Airlines 727 panicked and were injured Sunday night as they rushed to slide down emergency chutes to the Tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport, airlines spokeswoman Ruth Shari said. Thirteen passengers suffered minor injuries. Two of them remained hospitalized today.

The flight from Mexico City via Guadalajara landed just after 11 p.m. and was standing on the runway when a few passengers saw the engine backfire, Shari said. “They panicked, opened the emergency doors and let themselves out of the plane,” she said.