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Matildas star Steph Catley evacuates burning plane with Arsenal teammates after fire on runway

Matildas star Steph Catley forced to evacuate burning plane with her Arsenal teammates after it caught fire on the runway when a bird flew into the engine as they tried to return from Germany

  • Women’s team Arsenal in drama on Sunday night
  • Their plane caught fire on the runway
  • They stayed in Germany on Sunday night

By Sam Brookes for Mailonline and Shayne Bugden for Daily Mail Australia

published: | Updated:

Australian football star Steph Catley was involved in the drama when the plane carrying the Arsenal women’s team back from their Champions League semi-final first leg with Wolfsburg caught fire on the runway on Sunday night.

The incident took place at Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport after a bird flew into the engine shortly before take-off and caused a loud bang.

Flames immediately erupted from the left engine of the Boeing 737 and the pilots on board quickly evacuated the passengers, including the Arsenal first team, to safety.

Arsenal have released a statement confirming they have returned home safely this morning.

The statement read: ‘Our aircraft had a technical problem prior to take-off in Germany on Sunday evening.

The left engine of the Arsenal women’s team plane caught fire on Sunday evening

The plane caught fire shortly before it was due to take off to take the players back to England

Matildas defender Steph Catley arrives in Hamburg on Saturday from Arsenal

The Arsenal team was brought to safety and stayed overnight in Germany on Sunday

Arsenal used the same airline to fly to Germany on Saturday but had to make alternative arrangements to return to London

As a result, we stayed overnight in Wolfsburg on Sunday before flying back to England on Monday afternoon. We would like to thank the staff on board the aircraft and on the ground at the airport for their assistance.’

The team flew to Germany on a Maltese airline on Saturday and was scheduled to fly back the following evening on the same airline.

However, after the engine caught fire, they had to switch to a replacement airline on Monday morning to fly back to England.

Following their return from Germany, Arsenal can now look forward to trying to secure their spot in this year’s Champions League final after battling back to earn a 2-2 draw in Sunday’s first leg.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BIRD FALLS A PLANE?

Bird strikes can pose a significant safety risk and even result in death, although this is a rare occurrence.

It is estimated that only one fatal accident occurs as a result of every billion flight hours.

The most common instances of bird strikes are when they fly into the windshield or get sucked into the jet.

The latter can cause engines to fail and therefore catch fire. The biggest risk is when birds fly into the engine.

It is believed that 90 percent of bird strikes occur while an aircraft is landing, taking off or when it is at low altitude.

The amount of damage to the plane depends on the size, weight and speed of the bird and the plane itself, it said SimpleFlying.com.

Bird strikes remain relatively uncommon, but do generate headlines when they occur.

The famous landing of a US Airways flight on the Hudson by Chesley Sullenberger came after the plane crashed into a flock of birds shortly after takeoff from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

The Gunners got off to the worst possible start as they trailed their German opponents by two goals within 24 minutes.

However, Rafaelle Souza pulled a goal back for the visitors just before half-time and Arsenal made it 2–2 through Stina Blackstenius with 21 minutes remaining.

Arsenal’s comeback was a positive response after a difficult week that saw them beaten by Manchester United in the league, in a game in which Leah Williamson suffered a long-term knee injury that has ruled her out of the World Cup.

The second leg against Wolfsburg will take place next Monday at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal fought back from two goals down to draw with Wolfsburg on Sunday afternoon


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