AA Plane makes emergency landing at DFW Airport

DALLAS - An American Airlines plane made an emergency landing at DFW International Airport after it experienced engine trouble and passengers saw flames shooting out from the engine.

American Airlines Flight 438 left from DFW International Airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport just before 11 p.m. Wednesday night.  American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said a compressor in the engine failed. The plane remained in the air for about 20 minutes before landing safely. 

"Right as we left off the ground there was a loud explosion. Everyone kind of looked around not sure what happened. Some thought that we blew a tire, but we seemed to not be ascending at the normal rate. We were just kind of slowly ascending after takeoff. And I look over out the window to my right and across the aisle you can see kind of a lot of smoke, a lot of flames," said Matt Hopkins, a passenger.

One passenger, who did not want to share his name, took video of the flames. He also said he heard a loud boom just after the plane took off and started recording when he looked out his window and saw the flames. He said some passengers were scared and a pregnant woman sitting behind him cried, but the pilot remained calm and kept everyone informed about what was happening.

Arlington police said they also received a number of calls from people who could see the flames from the ground.

The Airbus 321 was carrying 130 passengers and six crew members. Feinstein said the engine was still operational and the plane made it to the gate under its own power. No one was hurt.

Feinstein said American Airlines provided passengers with hotel accommodations and the passengers were booked on different flights Thursday morning.

The plane will undergo an inspection and will not be returned to service until the maintenance issue is resolved, he said.