CLEVELAND (WJW) - Investigators are now trying to determine what happened to the engine of a SkyWest plane during takeoff this morning at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport just before that plane went into the air, the FOX 8 I-Team confirmed.
A Hopkins spokesman Saturday morning said the initial reports showed an engine caught fire before the plane returned to the gate around 7 a.m.
We’ve since learned the engine “fire” may have been a large flash.
An airport spokesman earlier said it happened when part of a hose used by the ground crew got into the engine.
Multiple sources tell us, the initial information suggests the hose had been hooked up to the plane before takeoff, and the hose had not been disconnected when the plane pulled away.
The airport says no one was hurt.
The FAA released a statement to the I-Team:
"SkyWest Flight 3952, a Embraer 175 regional jet, reported a foreign object was sucked into the engine while taxiing for departure at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio, around 7:15 a.m. local time Saturday, Dec. 17. The aircraft returned to the gate under its own power. The FAA will investigate."
SkyWest also released a statement:
"SkyWest Airlines flight 3952, operating as Delta Connection from Cleveland to Minneapolis, returned to the gate due to an engine issue prior to takeoff. Passengers have already been re-accommodated on other flights. Safety is always our top priority and we apologize for any inconvenience that we have caused our customers."