Fire-damaged British Airways jet goes back in the air

LAS VEGAS (AP) - A British Airways jet damaged by fire during an aborted takeoff in September has flown out of Las Vegas after an engine change and repairs.

An airline spokeswoman says the repaired Boeing 777 was heading to a facility in Victorville, California, to be repainted before being flown back to the United Kingdom.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the Sept. 8 fire is continuing.

British Airways Flight 2276 was about to take off for London when it screeched to a halt and 170 passengers and crew members escaped down evacuation slides.

Officials say the damaged General Electric engine has been replaced, and photos show the left wing was repaired and the fuselage was patched.

Aircraft flight-worthiness tests were conducted Thursday on an inactive runway at McCarran International Airport.