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**Update: 01/18/19 @ 14:30 UTC – Response received from Pratt & Whitney included in article.**

Early on Saturday morning, the engine of an S7 A321neo caught fire shortly before the aircraft was to take-off. The plane was scheduled to travel from Novosibirsk (Russia) to Cam Ranh (Vietnam) when the incident occurred.

We reached out to S7 Airlines and this is what they had to say about the incident:

“At the starting point on the air strip in Tolmachevo Airport while starting the aircraft the S7 5783 crew reported engine fire. The crew activated the fire-extingushing system. The aircraft returned to its parking lot. The flight was carried out on a standy aircraft on January 18.”-S7 Spokesperson

No injuries reported

The engine fire took place at roughly 1am local time on Saturday at Tolmachevo Airport in Novosibirsk – located in the Siberia region of Russia. According to Sputnik News, the fire was promptly put out by the aircraft’s crew.

Reports by Russian media outlet RT suggest that the pilots tried to start the engines multiple times until the right engine burst into flames. Video captured shows a fire below the aircraft’s wing.

One source states that there were 200 passengers on board the aircraft while another is saying 180. Regardless, none of these passengers were reported to be hurt or injured in the incident. All were provided accommodation as they waited for a replacement aircraft. The flight was scheduled to depart at 12:05am and reports indicate the flight was delayed by 12 hours.

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Below is video taken by a passenger sitting at the window seat:

Новосибирск

Аэробус 320

Бл#ть, как в страшном сне pic.twitter.com/AT0qkF4oc7 — Альфред Нобель (@ChemistInventor) January 18, 2020

While the immediate reasons for the fire are unknown, Sputnik News reports that the transport prosecutor’s office for the West Siberian region has launched an investigation into the matter.

Other flight details

According to FlightRadar24, the flight in question was S7-5783 flying from Novosibirsk to Cam Ranh. This service operates between the two cities at a five times weekly frequency and offers a warm, tropical destination for Novosibirsk residents to escape to during the harsh winter season.

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The aircraft being flown as an Airbus A321neo with registration VQ-BGR, which is just over one year old. This aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G-JM geared turbofan according to Airfleets.

We received a response from Pratt & Whitney regarding the matter who said:

“Pratt & Whitney is coordinating with S7 and supporting their operation. Can confirm this is a Pratt & Whitney engine”. -Jenny Dervin, Spokesperson, Pratt & Whitney

Conclusion

The incident is reminiscent of a Boeing 737 engine fire that took place last April aboard a UTair flight. The strange thing about the April incident was that flight attendants insisted that this occurrence was normal. In a September incident, a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320ceo’s engine exploded. The incident was captured on video. It should be made clear that the above incidents involve different engine types.