Tíbet Airlines A319 suffers runway overrun, catches fire in Chongqing
A Tibet Airlines Airbus A319 caught fire after an aborted takeoff in Chongqing. The aircraft involved is a nine-year old Airbus A319 with registration B-6425, it was operating flight TV9833 from Chongqing to Nyingchi.
The aircraft, a nine-year old Airbus A319 with registration B-6425 was operating flight TV9833 from Chongqing to Nyingchi when the pilots experienced an abnormality during the takeoff roll and decided to abort the takeoff, the aircraft subsequently veered off to the left of the runway and crossed two taxiways before finally coming to a stop in soft ground. After the plane skidded off the runway the engines scraped the ground and detached from the wings, the landing gear also detached from the fuselage; after the aircraft stopped, crew members noticed fuel leaking and decided to evacuate passengers, soon after the fire broke out forcing some passengers to jump from the aircraft. All 113 passengers and 9 crew onboard survived the incident, 36 suffered bruises and sprains during the evacuation.
The Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) said it has launched emergency plans in response to the incident, it also said it had started an on-scene investigation.
Tibet Airlines released a statement on the incident saying: “At 8:09am on May 12, 2022, Tibet Airlines TV9833 (aircraft register number B-6425) was scheduled to carry out a passenger flight from Chongqing to Nyingchi with 113 passengers and 9 crew members on board. During the take off, the crew found the aircraft was unusual and implemented the rejected take off procedure, the plane veered off the runway at Chongqing Jiangbei Airport.All passengers and crew were evacuated safely. The injured passengers were sent to local hospital with minor injuries. The aircraft was damaged by fire. After the incident, Tibet Airlines immediately activated the first-level emergency plan and made every effort to deal with the following work.”
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) also released a statement saying: “On May 12, 2022, Tibet Airlines flight TV9833 ran off the runway during takeoff and taxiing at Chongqing Airport while carrying out a passenger transport mission between Chongqing and Nyingchi, Tibet. According to a crew member, the plane experienced an anomaly during takeoff, then the crew implemented rejected take off procedures. After running off the runway, the engine scraped the ground and caught fire. The fire has been put out now.A total of 122 people on board, including 113 passengers and 9 crew members, have been evacuated safely. During the evacuation, 36 people suffered bruises and sprains and were sent to local hospitals for examination.At present, Chongqing Airport has closed one runway, and the other two runways are in normal operation. CAAC Southwest Regional Administration and Chongqing Regulatory Bureau have launched emergency plans and started on scene investigation.”
Photos on social media show both engines separated from the wings, a major crack in the rear fuselage and damage to the right wing.
Airbus said it was aware of the incident and was making all efforts to assess the situation.
Tibet Airlines is a regional airline based in Lhasa; it is a subsidiary of Air China. The carrier has a fleet of 39 planes composing 28 A319s, 6 A320s, and 5 A330s.