Another high-profile non-fatal airline incident dominated the weekend news cycle as 173 passengers, most clutching suitcases, backpacks and even baby carriers, evacuated a burning American Airlines 737 in Denver on Saturday. The MAX was on the roll when one of the right mains blew. The crew aborted the takeoff and hit the brakes, which started the fire. The aircraft was towed to maintenance and the passengers got to Miami three hours late on a different plane.
There is lots of video online and it shows that virtually none of the passengers complied with the direction to leave their stuff behind. All manner of carry-on objects made the slide to the runway and there was remarkably little collateral damage. Only one person needed to go to the hospital and five were checked out on the runway. The fire was out within seconds of the arrival of the fire department and it appears damage to the aircraft is relatively minor.
Virtually none of the passengers complied…
There is an answer to that…
The FAA is strictly enforcing a zero-tolerance policy toward passengers who cause disturbances on flights or fail to obey flight crew instructions in violation of the FAA’s regulations or engage in conduct proscribed by federal law.
The passengers have 30 days after receiving the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency.