All 63 passengers onboard an Indian Airlines Boeing from New Delhi to Patna had a providential escape on Wednesday after both the tyres of the right rear wheels of the plane burst, following a 'heavy landing'.
As the wheels thumped on the runway at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport at 1530 hrs, the tyres tore and the wheels bent, Darshan Singh, Area Manager, Indian Airlines told PTI.
Fifty-six passengers and seven crew members onboard Flight IC-809 were evacuated as emergency services stood by, he said.
Atul Dixit, director of the airport, said the tyres of the plane burst due to a 'heavy landing'. None of the passengers or crew suffered any injury, the IA manager said. He added that luggage of the passengers were also undamaged.
The return flight from Patna to New Delhi stood cancelled due to the damage caused to the wheels and tyres. Dixit said the Director General of Civil Aviation is the competent authority to order an inquiry.
