As Plane's Engine Caught Fire, Some Sent 'Goodbye Texts'

A plane traveling from the Greek island of Corfu to Germany was forced to make an emergency landing in Italy over the weekend after the aircraft's right engine appeared to burst into flames soon after takeoff. Condor Airlines Flight DE 3665 had been set to land in Duesseldorf around 9:30pm local time on Saturday, but instead it ended up touching down in the Italian city of Brindisi at 8:15pm, reports People, citing German media outlets. Reports say that, when the plane had reached an altitude of about 36,000 feet, crew aboard the Boeing 757 noticed that airflow in the right turbine wasn't quite right.

WDR has video said to have been taken from the plane's cabin showing the flames. Another unverified video that's circulating shows the plane from the ground, where what appears to be fire can be seen coming from the plane's affected engine, along with a series of loud banging sounds. "Suddenly, the power went out for a few seconds, and we realized we were no longer climbing," one passenger tells Frankfurter Rundschau. Another says they sent "goodbye texts," calling the experience "incredibly horrible."

A Condor rep couldn't confirm there'd been a fire in one of the engines—only that a chemical reaction had taken place that usually happens in the engine's combustion chamber—but tells People that passengers were in "no danger" during the incident. "The reason [for the diversion to Italy] was a parameter indication outside the normal range caused by a disturbance in the airflow supply to the engine," the airline says in a statement.

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It adds that, after landing, another plane was arranged for the next day to bring all the stranded passengers to Germany. It didn't sound like a pleasant night for some of them. "Unfortunately, there was insufficient hotel capacity in Brindisi, meaning that not all guests could be accommodated in hotels," the statement reads. "Additional vouchers and blankets were organized at the airport, and a few shops were allowed to remain open to provide supplies." The airline says that anyone who had to make "alternative accommodation options" can submit receipts to be reimbursed. There were no injuries reported among the plane's 273 passengers and eight crew members.