The aircraft, previously named "Goldfinch", but at the time of the accident named "River Orrin", had 131 passengers and six crew on the manifest. At 06:12 BST as the plane was on the runway preparing to takeoff, a loud thump was heard.
An engine failure had generated a fire and a plume of black smoke subsequently ensued. Takeoff was aborted, with both pilots oblivious to the fire to the engine on the left wing. Passengers who could see the fire started to evacuate the aircraft, with 82 of the 131 passengers escaping. 54 passengers perished, many due to inhalation of toxic smoke which had seeped into thefuselage.[1]
After the crash investigation, a number of safety recommendations were made which included fire resistant seat covers, floor lighting, fire-resistant wall and ceiling panels, more fire extinguishers and clearer evacuation rules.[2]