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Cause of flame burst still unknown

Pacific Coastal plane remains parked in Trail until a new engine arrives.

The plume has long since cleared, but a shroud of mystery still engulfs a Pacific Coastal plane grounded at the Trail Regional Airport.

One week following an incident at the airport the plane remains parked because there is internal damage within the engine, said Spencer Smith, vice president of commercial services for Pacific Coastal Airlines

“It is too early to tell why there is engine damage, but we think it was caused by tests we did the next day.”

Smith went on to explain that the maintenance crew arrived the morning of Nov. 15, and did not see any damage.

A new engine is currently en route from Vancouver, said Smith.

He declined to discuss the outcome of the on-going investigation.

“It is too early to comment if we should have done anything different,” he said. “All that information will come out at a later date.”

On Nov. 14, passengers were in the middle of deplaning at the Trail airport, when a person turned around and saw what he thought was fire and alerted the staff.

Fire retardant was deployed by the pilots although Pacific Coastal officials said there was never any fire.

Smith said what can happen during the shut down of a plane is that extra fuel can build up in the exhaust pipe and the excess that is shot out appears as flame.