AN ENGINE fire sparked an emergency alert at Blackpool Airport.
Three men escaped the fire which started in an engine of a Piper PA27 aircraft just as it was about to take off shortly before 2pm on February 24.
The airport's own fire crews used a jet to douse the twin-engined five-seater aircraft and hand extinguishers to put out the fire. The pilot and passengers, who have not been named, were unharmed.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was informed and a routine investigation started into the incident. The aircraft, understood to belong to a local company, was thought to be setting off on a training flight.
Leading firefighter Jeff Keegan said: "The aircraft was waiting on the threshold of the runway ready for take-off. There were three men on board and as they were revving the engines one started billowing with smoke and fire developed."
An airport spokesman praised the swift, professional response of the firefighters.
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