NEW DELHI/RAIPUR: In a minor scare for 41 people, including five crew members, aboard an Alliance Air flight from New Delhi to Bilaspur, a tyre burst during landing at Bilaspur airport in Chhattisgarh on Friday afternoon. The pilots brought the aircraft to a controlled halt on the runway, and all passengers were deplaned safely.
Flight 91-613 (VT-UDA) took off from the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 11.11 am and was landing at Bilaspur airport at 1.22 pm when the tyre on the aircraft’s left-hand side burst.
Airport director N Biren Singh told this newspaper, “All 41 people on board—comprising 37 passengers and 4 crew members—escaped unhurt and were safely shifted. The tyre on the left side of the landing gear had burst.” This caused a puncture during the touchdown.
“Following the tyre puncture, the pilots brought the aircraft to a safe and controlled halt on the runway. Ground support and airport personnel shifted all passengers and crew onto the runway and escorted them safely to the terminal building,” the officer added.
Singh added, “Since aircraft landing gear tyres bear immense friction, pressure, and high-speed load during touchdown, any structural damage necessitates a comprehensive technical and safety inspection before clearance. Consequently, the airline cancelled the aircraft’s scheduled onwards flight out of Bilaspur to Delhi via Prayagraj.” This would facilitate maintenance checks and tyre replacement.
Confirming the incident, Alliance Air, in a statement, said, “While landing, there was an occurrence of a wheel burst of the main wheels on the left-hand side. There were no injuries.” The same aircraft had operated on the Delhi-Kullu-Delhi route safely in the morning. “A team of engineers will ascertain the reasons for the occurrence,” they added.