On the 14th of September, an Air India Express Boeing 737 was forced to reject takeoff in Muscat due to a right-hand engine fire indication. Passengers were evacuated via slides and 14 passengers reportedly sustained minor injuries during the evacuation.
The Boeing 737-800, with registration VT-AXZ, was performing flight IX442 from Muscat, Oman to Kochi, India with 145 passengers and six crew members. However, the crew rejected the takeoff after another flight crew spotted smoke coming from the right-hand CFM56 engine as the plane was proceeding along a taxiway.
As reported by the Aviation Herald, the crew rejected takeoff at a low speed of about 40 knots over ground and vacated the runway 08L via the next high-speed turn-off. The aircraft came to a stop on the adjacent runway and passengers were evacuated.
“While it was on the taxiway, another aircraft reported observing fumes from one of the engines. However, there was no fire warning indication in the cockpit.”
Air India Express Spokesperson
The airline further stated that the crew stopped on the taxiway and activated the onboard engine fire extinguishers as a precaution. The incident is being investigated by the carrier’s Flight Safety Department, as well as the regulatory authorities.
Arun Kumar, head of the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that “appropriate action” would be taken over the incident. “All passengers were safely evacuated after smoke was detected in engine number two… We will investigate the incident and also take appropriate action,” Kumar said.
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