Feds: Engine crack caused 2015 British Airways incident at Las Vegas airport

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John Locher / AP

Firefighters stand by a British Airways plane that caught fire Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, at McCarran International Airport. An engine on the plane caught fire before takeoff, forcing passengers to escape on emergency slides.

Wed, Jun 20, 2018 (1:29 p.m.)

British Airways Fire at McCarran

A British Airways passenger jet is shown after a fire at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas September 8, 2015. Launch slideshow »

Federal investigators say a fatigue crack in the engine compressor on a British Airways jet was to blame for an aborted takeoff and fire at a Las Vegas airport.

One flight attendant was seriously injured in the Sept. 8, 2015, incident at McCarran International Airport. Everyone on board the Boeing 777 jet, which was bound for London, was able to evacuate.

The National Transportation Safety Board couldn't determine the cause of the crack in its investigation, but said it likely went undetected for years because of a lack of inspection procedures. The engine's maker, General Electric Co., has since established procedures designed to catch cracks.

The safety board also blamed the crew for the chaotic evacuation. It says the captain failed to follow procedures, which delayed the shut-off of the working engine and hampered the evacuation.

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