Sequence Of Events Easy To Follow In New Delhi Incident

What started as a minor incident became a major ordeal for 241 passengers onboard an Air Mauritius Airbus A330 Thursday.

According to numerous local media reports, the Airbus A330 was on its takeoff roll from New Delhi when it reportedly struck a bird. The flight crew applied the brakes to abort the takeoff... which overheated the brakes, and caused one of the main landing gear wheels to catch fire.

"The plane had already gained high speed, and was slightly airborne, when we saw a bird hit the wheel and get entangled," recounted passenger Rahul Gautam to the Hindustan Times. "Our pilot had to apply brakes."

"I saw a flame on the wheels when the pilot announced that the plane had been hit by a bird," added Sudhir Kumar Tripathi.

As the plane rolled to a stop, the fire spread to the airliner's undercarriage... forcing the evacuation of the flight. Gautam described feeling the cabin's temperature increasing, and seeing smoke waft through the cabin, while he waited for his chance to slide down the emergency 'chutes.

"The children were crying and the elderly were finding it difficult to get out of the plane. Passengers were scared even after sliding down the escape chute," he said.

Everyone onboard the A330 was able to get off the plane in time, though many received bruises and other minor injuries from the slides. Officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport said fire crews responded quickly to the emergency, and were able to contain the flames before the situation became much worse.

"Had the fire not extinguished in time or the plane had taken off, it would have definitely blown up either on ground or mid-air. Thankfully, the pilot was smart and did the right thing," one said.

Air Mauritius placed passengers in a local hotel while they arranged another flight, which was due to leave Friday morning. Officials with the airline are staying mum about the exact circumstances of the incident.

FMI: www.airmauritius.com/