Pakistani airport closed

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Have no Idea where to place this post.

Pakistani airport closed
From correspondents in Islamabad
20jul03
THE international airport in the federal capital was shut down Sunday after the tires of a Pakistan International Airlines jet bound for New York burst on takeoff, an airport official said.

All 276 passengers and crew were safe, Omar Daraz said.

Four tires on the Boeing 747 burst on takeoff at the airport in Islamabad, forcing the pilot to bring the aircraft to an emergency stop. The airport closed all its runways and diverted incoming flights to other airports.

Daraz said the airport will likely open later Sunday and the flight to New York was expected to be able to resume by late afternoon.
Source

------------------------------------------Article 2

Islamabad,Sunday, July 20, 2003: All 276 passengers on board a New York bound Pakistan International Airlines flight had a miraculous escape today when all the ten tires of the Boeing 747 burst on takeoff, an airport official said.

       "All the ten tyres of the plane PK-717 burst when it was about to takeoff for New York. The 276 passengers on board, including eight children and 19 crew members, are safe," Omar Daraz said. 
    The international airport has been shut down as the runway has been blocked and all flights to and from Islamabad have been temporarily suspended. 
    The flight arrived today morning from Karachi to Islamabad for onward journey to New York. 
    Daraz said the airport is likely to open later in the day and the New York flight is expected to resume in the afternoon.

(PTI)
14:20 IST

-------------------------Article 3
Islamabad airport closed after New York-bound Pakistani jetliner aborts takeoff

The Associated Press
7/20/03 8:49 AM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) – The Islamabad airport was closed Sunday after a New York-bound Pakistan International Airlines plane aborted takeoff and burst 16 tires.

All 276 passengers and crew were safe, airport official Omar Daraz said.

Imran Gardezi, an airline spokesman, said the pilot of the early morning flight decided against taking off for technical reasons. He said an investigation was under way.

The plane was left standing on the main runway, and the airport diverted incoming flights to other airports.

The shutdown forced the cancellation of three international flights and eight domestic ones. Gardezi said the airport should reopen Sunday evening, and the flight to New York was expected to depart then.
http://www.nj.com/newsflash/international/index.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0441_BC_Pakistan-AirportEmerg

Legit? I dont know

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my wife just told me this .. they don't know whats happening as well.. also, its raining like crazy now.. roads are getting flooded.. not like the serious type of flooding i think, just standing water..

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This has happened before in Isloo airport too but not that serious, and I wouldnt be surprised if it were the skilled PIA pilots that saved the day. Im not sure but from what I have heard these tyres get changed pretty often, because of they wear they undergo.

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yahoo!! is reporting problem with engine 4...pilot did not take off because of that.

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Scary!

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PIA pilots are very good.
I was once flying back here to dallas from karachi our plane got stuck at
islamabad airport..reason they had some engine issuse and we were about to take off..

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Actually, you guys have the story messed up. I actually knew someone who was on the plane and I read the local newspapers here and one of my friends father is a pilot for the PIA 747's. Apparently, there was some "engine failure" of some kind. While taking off, speeding down the runway, at halfway, the pilot noticed that only the front of the plane had gone airborne and the rest of the plane was refusing to go airborne, so instinctively, he knew the plane wasnt going to take off. This plane was loaded with enough fuel to make it to manchester. So, the pilot slammed the emergency brakes (reverse thrust which is usually used on landings was unavailable as the plane was in forward mode) and at 200 kmh, the amount of braking force caused almost ALL of the 20 or so tires to burst, which sounded like bombs going off and scared everyone inside. The plane came within 6 inches of the end of the runway, no emergency exits were used, and a staircase was brought to help evacuate everyone. Tires had to be flown in from karachi on focker planes so they could move the plane off the runway so the airport could reopen. Musharafs returning plane could not land because of the plane sittin at the end of the runway and had to be re routed to lahore. I also read that this particular plane is around 30 years old and has had this problem TWICE in the past. I think its fair to note that PIA pilots, most of which have served on the Pakistan Air Force are very well experienced. PIA landings are the most smooth of all the airlines. This is all Ive heard though about the incident, could be right, could be wrong.

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No one is questioning PIA's pilots. It is not USUAL to have every single tire explode on an abort landing. The chances of it are actually very low. It could be a result of either sabatoge or lack of maintenance. I'm betting on lack of maintenance.

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^ Or, extreme braking force as yusuf mentioned. All 16-20 tires' lives do not end at the same instant.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by yusuf1982: *
So, the pilot slammed the emergency brakes (reverse thrust which is usually used on landings was unavailable as the plane was in forward mode) and at 200 kmh, the amount of braking force caused almost ALL of the 20 or so tires to burst, which sounded like bombs going off and scared everyone inside.
[/QUOTE]

The reverse thrusters can still be applied to an aircraft whether landing or taking off by moving back the throttles into idle then reverse. You are right about the tires though. The braking generated enough heat due to friction to cause a fire which resulted in all the rear tires bursting. Can you imagine the amount of energy needed to stop a fully loaded 747? The aircraft was a Boeing 747-200 registration 'AP-BAK' which was manufactured in 1979 and delivered to PIA in 1980 so it is around 24 years old and not 30.

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Still, hats off to the pilots for identifying the problem early on and showing excellent judgement in solving it. Being reponsible for 250+ lives is no easy task.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Astronut: *

The reverse thrusters can still be applied to an aircraft whether landing or taking off by moving back the throttles into idle then reverse. You are right about the tires though. The braking generated enough heat due to friction to cause a fire which resulted in all the rear tires bursting. Can you imagine the amount of energy needed to stop a fully loaded 747? The aircraft was a Boeing 747-200 registration 'AP-BAK' which was manufactured in 1979 and delivered to PIA in 1980 so it is around 24 years old and not 30.
[/QUOTE]

Hmm, very good post!!

God Bless PIA pilots..

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Here something interesting that usually comes out of so-called "top officials" of Pakistani functionaries:

From Dawn, 7/22/2003

Engines cited for aborted take-off

By Baqir Sajjad Syed & Mohammad Asghar

RAWALPINDI, July 21: The engines of PIA's B-747 Combi that aborted take-off Sunday morning has had a series of dramatic failures in the past few weeks , all coincidentally on international flights, claimed sources in the airline.

Sources said the Sunday incident was one of three such aborts suffered by the same plane with same engines in as many weeks. One of these aborts had occurred on a London-bound flight from Karachi.

The engineering branch, they said, had not been able to fix the problem and had made only minor repairs, adding that the engines were not replaced.

However, the claim was denied by the PIA administration. The national flag carrier's General Manager Imran Gardezi said there had been no such incidents in the past few weeks, describing all such stories as being fabricated in a bid to cover up the actual fault.

Without specifying "the actual fault," he said that investigations were underway and it was premature to say anything.

The plane was fitted with General Electric's GE CF6 engines. Mr Gardezi defended the CF6 engines saying they were quite reliable.

Interviews with senior officials of the PIA pointed towards an ongoing struggle between different sections of the airline to lay the blame on each other's doorsteps.

A new theory is making rounds in the PIA circles, which holds the pilot responsible for the "whole mess".

A senior official said the pilot should have taken off in any case at the speed of 140 knots and could have again safely landed at Islamabad airport instead of applying emergency brakes and aborting the flight, which caused flights disruption.

Meanwhile, officials speaking about the on-going investigations into the incident said the black box is being deciphered.

It was also learnt that the aircraft's engines had not yet been checked. The flight record has been taken into custody by investigators, who had arrived from Karachi earlier.

The pilot in his statement recorded before the investigating team has been quoted as having told them that two of the engines did not give enough thrust for the take off, therefore, he had no other option, but to abort.

The pilot's last message to the control tower was that the plane had developed fault and he is aborting the take-off for which he needs emergency assistance.

I wonder if a che comment like would have been made by this dude if his own family was on board. I don't care how likely it would have been to land safely back if something is detected, but if the plane is not airborne and something doesn't seem right, better not leave the ground. Screw the runway/airport closure or president landing!! Preserving life is paramount!