McDonnell Douglas MD-80 (N962TW)

Here’s one from the archives. One of the Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting (ARFF) apparatus standing by with AA 1295 on short-final after it was forced back to the airport soon after it departed for DFW for an emergency landing on 21 Dec 2012. A loud “boom” was heard throughout the airport area – including the firehouse – as the MD-80 departed CLE. The 9-1-1 center downtown received calls from North Olmsted residents reporting hearing repeated “booms” and seeing flames shooting from the engine exhaust of a low-flying aircraft. The heavy snow squalls and low-visibility added to the already tense situation. Fortunately, the aircraft landed without incident and taxied to the gate using the other engine.