Tibet Airlines' plane in China skids off runway, catches fire
China's Tibet Airlines plane with 122 people on board skidded the runway while taking off and caught fire at the Chongqing Jiangbei international airport on Thursday. All 113 passengers and nine crew members were evacuated with around 40 people sustaining minor injuries, the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported. The flight was traveling from Chongqing to Nyingchi in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Footage shows smoke billowing from the fuselage
The China Central Television (CCTV) posted video footage showing flames and smoke billowing from the fuselage of the Tibet Airlines plane at the airport. Passengers could be seen moving out via an evacuation slide at the rear door of the plane. CCTV reported that the fire was doused and the runway has been shut temporarily. The airline said the matter is being probed.
See video from the runway
Pilots aborted takeoff after crew noticed 'abnormality'
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said, "The pilots had interrupted the takeoff in line with procedures after experiencing an abnormality. This led to an engine scrape and fire after the plane veered off the runway." Emergency plans were activated and investigators rushed to the scene, the aviation regulator added. "All passengers and crew have been safely evacuated," the airline said.
Plane was a nine-year-old A319
The Tibet Airline's plane was a nine-year-old A319, powered by CFM56 engines from CFM International, according to airfleets.net. It is one of the smallest in the A320 fleet. Tibet Airlines is a regional airline based in Lhasa. It has a fleet of 39 planes, including 28 A319s, according to airfleets.net. Airbus said all efforts were being made to assess the situation.
Recent China Eastern Airlines plane crash remains a 'mystery'
On March 21, China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 with 132 people on board crashed in the Tengxian county of the Guangxi Zhuang. There were no survivors in the incident. The Chinese aviation regulator had submitted that investigators were still analyzing data from the two black boxes and "there was no evidence of any pre-flight mechanical failure, weather issue, or problem with the pilots' qualifications."
