On 11th July, a Saudia Airbus A330 was evacuated at Peshawar Airport, Pakistan due to a landing gear fire. Due to this issue, the aircraft skidded off the taxiway and came to a stop on the grass.
The Airbus A330-300 with registration HZ-AQ28 was operating flight SV792 from Riyadh to Peshawar with 276 passengers and 21 crew members on board. However, the left landing gear caught fire after landing on runway 35.
Following the landing gear fire, the A330 skidded off the runway and came to a stop in the unpaved area. Firefighting crews responded promptly to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire.
Footage shared on the internet shows the passengers being evacuated using the emergency slides. All those on board were then bused to the terminal.
According to a CAA spokesperson Saifullah, air traffic controllers witnessed smoke and sparks emanating from the left-hand side landing gear of the aircraft as the aircraft landed and alerted the pilots.
Saudia clarified that the A330 experienced smoke emanating from one of the tires during landing at Peshawar International Airport in Pakistan.
“Saudia clarifies that its aircraft, flying from Riyadh to Peshawar on flight number SV792, experienced smoke emanating from one of the tires during landing at Peshawar International Airport in Pakistan. The aircraft was immediately stopped, and the relevant authorities were notified. All guests and crew were safely evacuated through the evacuation slide.”
Saudia Spokesperson
Following the incident, the airport has been closed for 24 hours due to the presence of the aircraft on the airport taxiway. All flights to the airport have been canceled or diverted to an alternative airport.
LATAM Brasil B777 Damaged During Tail Strike in Milan
On 9th July, a LATAM Brasil Boeing 777 suffered a tail strike while departing from Milan Malpase Airport.
The Boeing 777-300/ER with registration PT-MUG was departing as flight LA8073 from Milan Malpensa to Sao Paulo Guarulhos. However, the B777 struck its tail on the runway surface during rotation, as reported by the Aviation Herald.
Flight LA8073 stopped the climb at 5000 feet, entered a holding pattern, and dumped fuel before returning to Milan for a safe landing on runway 35R about 75 minutes after departure.
CCTV footage shared on the internet shows the tail strike incident.
The B777 reportedly suffered significant damage and has been grounded since. All passengers disembarked as normal, and the flight was eventually canceled with the aircraft awaiting maintenance.
Feature Image via Aviationbrk