Failure of Engine Part Cited as Possible Cause of Jet Fire

A compressor disk in the right engine of a ValuJet DC-9 failed, possibly triggering the fire that forced evacuation of a Miami-bound flight just before takeoff, a federal investigator said Friday.

“There’s a great deal of damage to the right engine,” said National Transportation Safety Board investigator Preston Hicks. However, he said investigators are not ready to say where the fire began or whether it was caused by the part failure.

Broken pieces of the compressor disk flew into the cabin of the passenger plane, while other debris was found near the airport runway, Hicks said.

In the next few days, the NTSB will interview passengers, crew, other pilots and air traffic controllers as part of its investigation.

There were 55 passengers and five crew members on ValuJet Flight 597 when the plane began accelerating for takeoff from Hartsfield International Airport just after 7 p.m. EDT Thursday.

Crew members and passengers reported hearing a loud bang just before the fire broke out, but Hicks said there was no evidence of an explosion.

Airport officials said the crew and passengers were evacuated from the plane in less than a minute.

Flight attendant Rachel Neal is in satisfactory condition after undergoing surgery for burns suffered in the fire, the airline said. Two other flight attendants and four passengers suffered minor injuries.