Air India flight catches fire while landing in Delhi

Around 150 people on board an Air India plane from Varanasi had a close shave on Monday night after it caught fire due to a hydraulic failure while landing under emergency conditions at the Delhi airport.

Five fliers suffered minor injuries during evacuation while passengers claimed that one of the emergency doors did not function, resulting in panic.

The pilot of the Delhi-bound AI-105 requested for landing under emergency conditions in the airport as he detected hydraulic failure.

“There was some hydraulic problem and emergency landing was made by the pilot. After landing, some smoke was noticed in one of wheels and as per established procedure, passengers were evacuated through chute,” said Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani.

Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said, “The pilot came to know about the leak in hydraulic system in air itself when it was in the process of landing. The pilot conveyed it to the Air Traffic Control and all emergencies were declared.”

Airport sources said the plane, an Airbus A320, had an emergency landing here as the pilot reported hydraulic failure. “A small fire was seen in the undercarriage of the aircraft after landing which was quickly doused,” they said.

However, Air India said there was a hydraulic leak but no fire. Lohani said passengers got first aid treatment at the airport itself.

On injuries to passengers, he said they were not injured in aircraft but while coming down from the chute. “Some got scratches on elbows, nothing major,” he added.

A passenger, who identified himself as Abhishek Vyas, said one of the emergency gates did not open and this led to panic situation. “We were asked to evacuate right after landing, one of the emergency doors did not open,” he said.

Rajendra Desai, another passenger, said, “We did not see fire but there was a lot of smoke.”

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation will conduct an inquiry into the incident, an official said. Air India will also be asked to submit a report on the incident.