New Delhi: An Air India flight that had developed a hydraulic failure, caught fire during landing at the Delhi airport this evening. Sources said the aircraft in question - an Airbus 320 -- was acquired in 1994 and is more than 21 years old.
The fire started in the undercarriage after touchdown, possibly because a brake in the hydraulic system had been leaking, sources said. Plus, the pilot had applied brakes hard while landing under full emergency conditions.
All 153 people on board are safe. They were evacuated on the tarmac and the aircraft was towed away.
"The pilot came to know about leak in hydraulic system in air itself when it was in the process of landing," Union minister Mahesh Sharma told news agency ANI.
"After the landing some smoke was noticed from one of the wheels of the aircraft and subsequently, as per the established procedure and protocol, the passengers were evacuated," Ashwani Lohani, the Chief Managing Director of Air India told ANI.
The last mishap in a flight of the state carrier was reported last month when the tyre of a plane from Delhi burst after landing at Bangalore's Kempegowda International Airport.
