Frontier Airlines Passengers Sue Over Firey Las Vegas Landing

One Frontier Airlines flight on October 5 experienced a fiery conclusion, leaving passengers less than elated. A lawsuit filed on Monday states a group of travelers is seeking tens of thousands of dollars due to the airline's "negligence" while touching down in Las Vegas.

Flamin' Hot Finish

According to a lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court in Nevada on Monday, a Frontier Airlines flight underwent a "violent crash landing" that left passengers "traumatized and injured", as it landed in Las Vegas, Nevada from San Diego, California.

As the Airbus A321 plane was making its arrival at Harry Reid International Airport, the impact of the landing was "so strong" that it damaged several of the plane's components. The landing gear collapsed during the landing, causing the aircraft to catch fire. The aircraft's tires also reportedly exploded.

X user Tyler Herrick uploaded a video of the landing, showing the aircraft creating a small trail of fire as it skids across the runway before stopping. Fire crews were there on the site to douse the flames.

Following the unexpected event of turbulence, the cabin also reportedly filled up with "sweltering smoke" which passengers couldn't escape for several moments.

As of July of this year, the A321 has logged nearly 28,000 flight hours in its ninth year of service. The aircraft is currently on repair at the airport.

Among the passengers suing the airlines are Clark County residents Albert Cardos-Ramirez and Ana Figueroa-Cueva and San Diego County resident Edward Frierson. The lawsuit states that the airline was negligent in ensuring passenger safety.

Attorney Steve Dimopoulos filed the lawsuit and is representing the three passengers. “While the exact cause of the incident is not clear at this time, negligence may be inferred from the events that occurred,” he said.
 

Conflicting Reports

Frontier Airlines representatives defended the Las Vegas flight. While the lawsuit cites that injuries occurred on the flight's landing, it doesn't specify what those injuries were and how many passengers were affected. Frontier denies that any injuries were reported.

The spokespeople of Frontier noted that the plane landed safely, though pilots aboard the flight did sound the emergency alarm when they saw smoke. All passengers and crew were properly evacuated with the air stairs, according to the defense.

This sketchy landing continues a series of recent runway mishaps from notable airlines in the United States and abroad:

• Back in July, an American Airlines aircraft experienced a flaming tire in Tampa, Florida before it could takeoff in Phoenix, Arizona. This happened just as the plane was speeding down the runway and the flight was eventually aborted.
• Earlier this month, a Ryanair flight from Brindisi, Italy had to abort takeoff to Turin after an engine on the Boeing 737 caught fire.
• Another Boeing 737 used by United Airlines also suffered an "engine issue" keeping the plane in Boston, Massachusetts from flying to Washington D.C. Another aircraft was eventually used to serve the flight's 162 passengers.