A video has begun circulating online of a crazy piece of footage of a plane's engine sucking up and utterly destroying a cargo container.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The incident occurred at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. On Thursday, American Airlines flight 47 from Heathrow Airport, London, touched down at the airport.
In the video, a tug driver transports four cargo trains in front of the airplane. The engines were still roaring, and the power of an engine overpowered the cargo. The engine displaced three cargo containers, and they flew toward the plane.
The force throws two down the runway, just missing the engine. However, the jet blast does send one of the cargo containers right into the engine. Pieces and debris of the cargo container can be seen flying about the engine as it gets eviscerated.
The driver was unmoved and was unhurt by the incident.
1/? CCTV footage of yesterday American Airlines #AA47 cargo container ingestion has surfaced, & it doesn't look good for the tug driver towing the cargo containers. Just as I suspected, they went onto the service road between 2 aircraft. #OHare #avgeek #ChicagoScanner #ORD pic.twitter.com/j7H8uqQBpx
— Windy City Wheelman (@WindyCityDriver) October 19, 2024
Plane Engine Tears Up Cargo Container
The cargo container damaged the plane's engine. This one accident has caused potentially millions of dollars in damage.
The FAA is investigating what happened.
The tug driver ignored safety protocols by driving his freight in front of a plane. It is likely the employee will be fired, or heavily reprimanded. Additionally, it could have gone a lot worse if there were others around.
American Airlines has not made a comment or statement about the tug driver or the damage.
"This is LITERALLY one of the first things they teach you NOT TO DO in airfield driver training," comments the one who shared the surveillance footage. The poster worked at American Airlines and has experience in this field.
"Driving on this service road is tricky because it crosses 2 taxiways, TWY A & TWY B, both of which are VERY busy. You have to look both ways a few times before committing to cross especially when towing a string of freight dollies. It's almost like crossing a busy interstate," he continues, displaying intimate knowledge of the context around the incident.
"I don't think this employee will be working for AA much longer," he adds.