Tragedy averted at IGI as aircraft catches fire, bird hit suspected

Ahmedabad: A Major tragedy was averted at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday after an Air Mauritius flight caught fire, reportedly after being hit by a bird. All 241 passengers on board and 11 crew members were safely evacuated.
The incident occurred at 2.08 pm on Thursday when the flight, MK 745, was taking off. According to initial reports, a bird had entered the aircraft’s engine, and the pilot tried to immediately stop the plane that had already picked up speed for take-off. The sudden brakes overheated the plane, which led to a fire in the belly of the aircraft in the left carriage, airport officials said.
The fire was detected when smoke started coming out of the aircraft. The pilot immediately informed the apron control. The airport’s fire and rescue team doused the flames within 15 minutes. “The cargo is stored just above the left carriageway. Thankfully, the fuel tank of the aircraft is on the flaps, far away from the point where the fire started. Otherwise, it could have been a big tragedy,” said an airport official. The passengers were disembarked through the chute of the plane. “All passengers and crew members are safe. The cause of the incident is being investigated but a bird hit, as reported by the pilot, cannot be ruled out,” said an official statement from Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).
As many as 53 passengers, most of them honeymooning couples, were reported to have suffered minor bruises. The airport officials said the rescue team had put the chute at the emergency exit through which the passengers slid out and sustained injuries in the process.
The aircraft has been grounded and is undergoing repairs at Bay -87 at the IGI. The passengers were transferred to Le Meridien and Maurya Sheraton.
24/07/08 Expressindia.com

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Categories: Airports Jul 2008, Foreign Jul 2008, Safety Jul 2008