Investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board say an engine part was flung more than half a mile as a fire ripped through an American Airlines jet.
American Airlines Flight 383 was evacuated on the runway after an engine caught fire at Chicago O’Hare Airport.
In its preliminary report NTSB officials said part of an engine disk blew off and landed inside the roof of a warehouse nearly 3,000 feet away.
At a news conference NTSB senior investigator Lorenda Ward said: "As a result of the uncontrolled engine failure, a fuel pool fire erupted under the right wing."
It has been described as an extremely rare but serious incident.
The 161 passengers and nine crew were evacuated with 20 receiving hospital treatment due to various injuries sustained in the course of the evacuation.
Fire crews brought the fire under control within a few minutes but the incident caused lengthy delays at one of the busiest airports in the country.
