A Turkish Airlines plane was grounded and an airport was closed for 98 minutes after a fire broke out in the aircraft’s right main landing gear, officials have said
Flight operations were brought to a standstill after a major airport was forced to close due to an incident involving a Turkish Airlines plane. Tribhuvan International Airport was shut down for 98 minutes, from 6.34am to 8.12am on Monday, May 11, as confirmed by Gyanendra Bhul, assistant spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority ofNepal.
It’s believed that a fire erupted in the aircraft’s right main landing gear. A section of the airline’s wide-body aircraft ended up stranded on Taxiway Bravo, while the remainder of the plane stayed on the runway. This led authorities to suspend all domestic and international flights.
The Kathmandu Post reported that there were a total of 288 individuals, including 11 crew members, aboard the aircraft. Initial information indicated that a tyre on the aircraft’s right main landing gear had ignited.
Possible causes could range from a hard landing, issues with tyre pressure or other technical difficulties, according to officials, reports the Mirror.
Passengers were evacuated using emergency slides. Turkish Airlines reported that two passengers suffered minor finger injuries during the evacuation.
The aircraft is currently grounded pending ongoing technical inspections, and hotel arrangements have been made for passengers due to depart from Kathmandu. Authorities are also arranging alternative flights for travellers needing to reach their destinations urgently.
A maintenance, repair and overhaul team will examine the issue at the airport, while the Civil Aviation Authority’s Flight Safety Standard Department will also conduct a thorough investigation.
Nepal experiences relatively frequent plane crashes as its mountainous terrain and variable weather make flying conditions difficult.
In 2015, a Turkish Airlines jet landing in dense fog in Kathmandu skidded off a slippery runway shutting down the airport for several days.
No injuries were reported, and the plane was later towed out of the airport and converted into a museum.
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