Tue, Mar 01, 2005
Overheated Undercarriage Clears Cabin
More than 330 passengers and crew
members rushed for the exits on board a Pakistani Airlines 777
Tuesday, forced to evacuate by what appeared to be a fire in the
aircraft's undercarriage.
Flight PK789 was on the ground in Manchester, England, when the
incident occurred, during a refueling stop en route from Karachi,
Pakistan to Toronto, Canada. As the 777 taxied from the runway
to parking, the pilot of the aircraft taxiing behind it radioed
ground control and reported smoke pouring out of the left landing
gear.
"NATS (National Air Traffic
Services) at Manchester reported an aircraft ground incident and by
the time the fire brigade got to the plane, passengers were already
being evacuated," said an unidentified spokeswoman for NATS.
Firefighters rushed to the scene as 323 passengers and 12 crew
members poured out of the aircraft.
Thirty-three of the evacuees were treated for minor injuries,
according to the British Press Association. The airport was closed
for about 15-minutes while firefighters made sure there was no
danger to flight line operations.
Here's the odd part:
This was the fourth incident of overheating landing gear
sustained by a Pakistani Airlines 777 over the past year -- three
of them at Manchester.
The problem appears to be centered on Pakistani Air mechanics'
use of the wrong grease to lubricate the undercarriage. The airline
has started using a different kind of grease.
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