Grass near tarmac catches fire after AI plane lands at Patna
Grass near tarmac catches fire after AI plane lands at Patna
13 February 2009
published by www.hindu.com
India — A fire broke out within a radius of four to five metre near the tarmac shortly after an Air India IC409 flight from New Delhi disembarked its passengers at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport here on Friday.
The grass near the tarmac caught when the aircraft was in the parking bay after passengers deboarded it, Airport Director Atul Dixit told PTI. The fire brigade swung into action immediately and doused the flames within a few minutes and there was no damage to the aircraft, he said.
Another airport official said on condition of anonymity that a spark flew out of from the rear of the plane and ignited the grass. “Thank god! It happened only after the passengers deboarded the plane,” he said.
“The engine of the plane is being thoroughly checked,” Dixit said and added that an inquiry has been ordered by the Director General of Civil Aviation. The Air India’s return flight from Patna to New Delhi IC 410 was delayed as a result, he said.
