Jet Airways 737 Had Just Arrived At Mumbai

An engine on a Jet Airways 737 (similar aircraft pictured)  which had just landed at Mumbai Monday caught fire, forcing the evacuation of all 158 passengers from the jet. The Times of India reports that flames were doused within minutes after the airplane came to a stop. While no one was injured, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation categorized it as a serious incident.

Preliminary reports suggested that fuel leakage could have caused the fire. "Usually, leakage in one of the fuel pipes triggers a fire in the engine. The situation can become risky if the aircraft is mid-air," an airport source said. The flight from Riyadh landed at 0545 local time. According to airport officials, the Boeing 737-800 turned off the main runway and was taxiing on parallel taxiway N.  The plane was moving towards its gate when an airport official spotted smoke emanating from the left engine of the aircraft. On spotting the fire, the official informed ATC and ATC immediately relayed it to the pilot.
 
Confirming the incident, a Jet Airways spokesperson said, "While taxiing, the flight crew was alerted by the ATC of the slight presence of smoke in one of the engines. The cockpit crew then proceeded to bring the aircraft to the assigned bay safely. In keeping with standard operating procedure, one engine was shut down and the guests were safely deplaned."

Experts said the situation did not go out of hand as an alert official spotted the fire on time. Also, the situation was manageable as the aircraft was on the ground. "All aircraft have an in-built fire alert system. The cockpit has a fire warning light and an alarm, which shows which engine has caught fire. The pilot can immediately pull the plug and stop fuel supply to the engine," a senior commander said. "The fire was spotted even before the alert could go off," he added.

FMI: www.dgca.nic.in