Statistically, flying is safer than driving.

Despite that, we’ve been hearing a lot of terrifying flying stories lately, and people are still talking about the Ethiopian Airlines disaster.

In recent news, an Air Zimbabwe aircraft caught fire over Johannesburg.

According to The Citizen, the left engine of the aircraft departing from OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday night spewed fire shortly after take-off.

Residents shared on social media how they heard loud bangs and saw what looked like flames or sparks coming from the aircraft’s left engine.

“We even heard it in Norkem Park,” Madeleen Botha wrote on Facebook.

“We’re in Birchleigh and thought it was thunder at first, it was so weird,” said Karen Brink.

Shortly after the noise stopped, smoke could be smelled over Glen Marais. The plane apparently returned safely to OR Tambo International Airport.

You can see footage of the fire here:

Zimbabwe airliner, Boeing 767, engine on fire. Flight returning to OR Tambo international airport. pic.twitter.com/jWhcr1AnJx

— PigSpotter™ Pty Ltd (@PigSpotter) April 28, 2019

Thankfully, nobody was injured and the situation was resolved.

A spokesperson for Air Zimbabwe told ZimLive that the pilots of the aircraft, a Boeing 767-200, had reported a “tail pipe fire,” adding that the fire did not pose a danger to those onboard, which was why the captain was able to land the plane in Harare.

The Z-WPF plane is reportedly the embattled airline’s only functional one, as other planes have been grounded indefinitely for costly inspections that the airline is allegedly not able to afford.

Cool. Adding Air Zimbabwe to the list of aircraft I won’t be boarding any time soon.

[source:citizen]