AirTran Airways Jet Evacuated in Boston After Engine Fire

BOSTON (AP) -- An AirTran Airways plane was evacuated at Logan International Airport on Wednesday after an engine caught fire as the plane was taxiing to the runway.

Those on board - 26 passengers and five crew, according to the airline - got out of the plane on emergency chutes, said Phil Orlandella, spokesman for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan. AirTran Flight 771 was headed to Philadelphia.

One male passenger complaining of back pain was taken to a hospital, Orlandella said.

AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson said mechanics believe that residual fuel ignited when the engine started, an occurence he said was ``not uncommon.''

The passengers are being rerouted on a US Airways flight, he said.