'Engine fire' aborted flight at Kozhikode

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, OCT. 2. Even as Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials are probing into the ``emergency landing'' of an IA Airbus-300 which returned to Chennai after battling a severe air pocket, yet another shocking incident of ``an engine fire'' in a similar aircraft just before take-off from Kozhikode's Karipur airport has come to notice.

According to information reaching here, the latter incident took place on September 12 in a scheduled flight (IC- 598) from Kozhikode to Mumbai commanded by Capt. Manjit on September 12 with 38 passengers.

As the jet was on its ``take-off roll'', an alert Air Traffic Controller observed ``fire emanating from No. 1 engine''. Immediately, the ATC official informed the pilot who hurriedly aborted the take-off and returned to the parking bay. The carrier (registration number VT-ELW) was grounded at Kozhikode for over a week before being certified to fly again.

The September 12 incident assumed importance since the need to shift the ATC tower to a possible central location has arisen, for having a better 360 degree view to manage such eventualities. The shift is likely to take place when the work to extend the Kozhikode airport runway is completed. Meanwhile, in another related issue concerning Kozhikode airport, several international flights in the recent past have been subjected to diversion following erratic performance of an important navigational aid (VOR).

The national airports division of the AAI, which controls the air space besides being responsible for installation and maintenance of navigational aids at the airports, is seized of the matter.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Pilot didn't report weather obstacle
Next     : Quota for women: Speaker calls for British model