Sparks fly as A-I flight tyres deflate, passengers safe

More than 100 people on board an Air India (A-I) plane had a close shave when two tyres of the left landing gear of aircraft IC-133 deflated soon after it landed at the IGI airport here today.
“Air India's Mumbai-Bhopal-Indore-Delhi flight with 100 passengers and six crew members landed at Delhi airport around 10.58 a.m. and was taxiing towards the parking bay when ground engineers noticed two deflated tyres of the left landing gear and sparks emanating due to friction,” an airline official said. The pilot was immediately alerted and asked to stop the Airbus-320 aircraft.
Crash fire tenders were called in, which sprinkled water and foam to cool the aircraft's undercarriage in order to prevent any fire, he said, adding “all the passengers on board are safe”.
According to sources, there was no tyre burst as the pilot did not notice any unusual jerk. “The tyres got deflated after the aircraft had landed and when it was taxiing,” one said.