PA-22-108
05-10-09, 17:41
MUMBAI: A major disaster was averted at Mumbai airport on Friday morning when one of the ground staffers spotted fuel spilling out of the left wing of an Air India flight
preparing to take off for Riyadh with 213 passengers on board. As he watched, a fire erupted in one of the engines of the Boeing-747.
An emergency rescue operation was immediately mounted to evacuate Flight AI 829 and passengers slid out of the aircraft through flight chutes. The fire was brought under control and doused within five minutes
However, chaos ensued on the tarmac with panicky passengers running helter-skelter looking for refuge. Fifteen passengers sustained minor bruises, and six of them had to be rushed to the AI clinic in Kalina to check for fractures.
Another aircraft finally took the passengers to Riyadh at 6.30pm. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered an inquiry into the incident, even as AI derostered one of the engineers involved.
"The official in the follow-me jeep was guiding the aircraft towards the runway, as the pilot was unfamiliar with the geography of the airport. While the plane was on taxiway Alpha 3, he saw drops of fuel spilling from the wing of the aircraft," a source said. "He immediately alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC), which in turn sounded an alarm to the pilot asking him to turn the engine off." In a fraction of a second, flames and smoke flared up from the engine.
"Although the pilot had immediately turned the engine off, the heat generated started a fire. The pilot promptly started the evacuation process by letting down the flight chutes," said an official, adding that the fire was big enough to not only cause panic among the passengers but also alarm officials.
Fortunately, the airport fire station was a stone's throw away and four fire vehicles reached within a minute to get the fire under control.
"It could have been a major disaster if the aircraft had taken off. The situation was brought under control due to timely detection," said a senior airport official. An eyewitness told TOI that many passengers suffered bruises and cuts while sliding down from the chutes but were taken to the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) casualty centre and given first aid. "Six passengers were sent for an X-ray to Kalina as fractures were suspected. However, their reports were normal," the official added.
The trouble for AI 829 began much earlier than the actual accident. The flight was actually scheduled for departure at 2am but was delayed by one hour, 30 minutes. It started taxiing for take-off at 4.30am, only to abort it minutes later. Sources said that a false fire alarm went off on the aircraft, forcing the pilot to cancel take-off. "On inspection, engineers found some water in the cargo compartment which had sparked the fire alarm," a source told TOI. "The aircraft was changed for the next scheduled departure at 11am."
Air safety experts say that the oil-spilling, which snowballed into a big fire, reflects the poor maintenance standards of the airline. "This clearly shows that maintenance is being compromised upon. The aircraft are prepared for operations without carrying out maintenance as per the manufacturer's guidelines," said aviation expert, captain R Rangnathan.
An AI spokesperson told the press that the aircraft maintenance engineer had been derostered pending enquiry, and a four-member in-house committee had been set up to investigate the incident.
MUMBAI: A day after the Air India plane with 213 passengers caught fire just before take-off, the two pilots operating the Mumbai-Riyadh flight were taken off flying duty on Saturday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation also launched an investigation.
The two pilots, S Jha and Prakash Bapat, have been kept away from duty pending enquiry. AI, however, did not deroster its cabin crew, which is also part of the on-going enquiry.
"It is a standard operating procedure when an incident takes place involving an aircraft to deroster those involved so that they can be available to give their statements," an AI spokesperson said, adding that the cabin crew was questioned by DGCA officials on Saturday morning.
The airline had already derostered the aircraft maintenance engineer who was supervising the flight departure, after the left engine of the Boeing-747 caught fire seconds after fuel was seen dripping from one of its wings on Friday morning. Passengers on board escaped unhurt.
Boeing officials will fly in from the United States to look into the causes for the fire.
"A team will be sent to ascertain whether maintenance guidelines are being followed and to check if there’s a manufacturing error which led to the sudden eruption of fire or fuel spill. In that case, the machinery of other Boeing aircraft will also be rectified," a senior official told TOI.
DGCA officials said a preliminary investigation report would be ready on Monday. Responding to reports which said that the cabin crew evacuated passengers from the exit on the left side of the aircraft near the engine which was on fire, the officials clarified that the evacuation procedure was carried out from the right side of the plane.
‘‘The left chute was opened by Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd fire officials, who entered the aircraft after the evacuation to check if any passenger was stranded. The firemen, faced with thick smoke and soot, tried to open the left door, but since the chutes were activated, the left one came out instead,’’ an official said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/Day-after-AI-jet-fire-two-pilots-grounded/articleshow/4977341.cms
IN Flight Safety Information (08SEP09-207)
preparing to take off for Riyadh with 213 passengers on board. As he watched, a fire erupted in one of the engines of the Boeing-747.
An emergency rescue operation was immediately mounted to evacuate Flight AI 829 and passengers slid out of the aircraft through flight chutes. The fire was brought under control and doused within five minutes
However, chaos ensued on the tarmac with panicky passengers running helter-skelter looking for refuge. Fifteen passengers sustained minor bruises, and six of them had to be rushed to the AI clinic in Kalina to check for fractures.
Another aircraft finally took the passengers to Riyadh at 6.30pm. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered an inquiry into the incident, even as AI derostered one of the engineers involved.
"The official in the follow-me jeep was guiding the aircraft towards the runway, as the pilot was unfamiliar with the geography of the airport. While the plane was on taxiway Alpha 3, he saw drops of fuel spilling from the wing of the aircraft," a source said. "He immediately alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC), which in turn sounded an alarm to the pilot asking him to turn the engine off." In a fraction of a second, flames and smoke flared up from the engine.
"Although the pilot had immediately turned the engine off, the heat generated started a fire. The pilot promptly started the evacuation process by letting down the flight chutes," said an official, adding that the fire was big enough to not only cause panic among the passengers but also alarm officials.
Fortunately, the airport fire station was a stone's throw away and four fire vehicles reached within a minute to get the fire under control.
"It could have been a major disaster if the aircraft had taken off. The situation was brought under control due to timely detection," said a senior airport official. An eyewitness told TOI that many passengers suffered bruises and cuts while sliding down from the chutes but were taken to the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) casualty centre and given first aid. "Six passengers were sent for an X-ray to Kalina as fractures were suspected. However, their reports were normal," the official added.
The trouble for AI 829 began much earlier than the actual accident. The flight was actually scheduled for departure at 2am but was delayed by one hour, 30 minutes. It started taxiing for take-off at 4.30am, only to abort it minutes later. Sources said that a false fire alarm went off on the aircraft, forcing the pilot to cancel take-off. "On inspection, engineers found some water in the cargo compartment which had sparked the fire alarm," a source told TOI. "The aircraft was changed for the next scheduled departure at 11am."
Air safety experts say that the oil-spilling, which snowballed into a big fire, reflects the poor maintenance standards of the airline. "This clearly shows that maintenance is being compromised upon. The aircraft are prepared for operations without carrying out maintenance as per the manufacturer's guidelines," said aviation expert, captain R Rangnathan.
An AI spokesperson told the press that the aircraft maintenance engineer had been derostered pending enquiry, and a four-member in-house committee had been set up to investigate the incident.
MUMBAI: A day after the Air India plane with 213 passengers caught fire just before take-off, the two pilots operating the Mumbai-Riyadh flight were taken off flying duty on Saturday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation also launched an investigation.
The two pilots, S Jha and Prakash Bapat, have been kept away from duty pending enquiry. AI, however, did not deroster its cabin crew, which is also part of the on-going enquiry.
"It is a standard operating procedure when an incident takes place involving an aircraft to deroster those involved so that they can be available to give their statements," an AI spokesperson said, adding that the cabin crew was questioned by DGCA officials on Saturday morning.
The airline had already derostered the aircraft maintenance engineer who was supervising the flight departure, after the left engine of the Boeing-747 caught fire seconds after fuel was seen dripping from one of its wings on Friday morning. Passengers on board escaped unhurt.
Boeing officials will fly in from the United States to look into the causes for the fire.
"A team will be sent to ascertain whether maintenance guidelines are being followed and to check if there’s a manufacturing error which led to the sudden eruption of fire or fuel spill. In that case, the machinery of other Boeing aircraft will also be rectified," a senior official told TOI.
DGCA officials said a preliminary investigation report would be ready on Monday. Responding to reports which said that the cabin crew evacuated passengers from the exit on the left side of the aircraft near the engine which was on fire, the officials clarified that the evacuation procedure was carried out from the right side of the plane.
‘‘The left chute was opened by Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd fire officials, who entered the aircraft after the evacuation to check if any passenger was stranded. The firemen, faced with thick smoke and soot, tried to open the left door, but since the chutes were activated, the left one came out instead,’’ an official said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/Day-after-AI-jet-fire-two-pilots-grounded/articleshow/4977341.cms
IN Flight Safety Information (08SEP09-207)