Air India jet makes emergency landing in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES: An Air India jet with 273 passengers and crew on board made a safe emergency landing at the Los Angeles International Airport after blowing a tyre
during take off on Tuesday, airport officials said.

No physical injuries were reported, city Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells said, "but there were emotional injuries and stress." A passenger was taken to hospital.

Air India Flight 136, bound for Delhi via Frankfurt, took off from the airport here at 8:33 p.m. (10:03 am IST), blowing at least one of the tyres, airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said.

The Boeing 747 dumped fuel over the ocean and returned to the airport at 10:pm (11:33 am IST), emanating sparks as it touched down. More than 100 firefighters and
paramedics responded, dousing its wheels with foam to cool them after it came to a halt.

"We were prepared for the worst scenario - but fortunately it did land safely, with some fire on the right side," Wells was quoted as saying by the media.

Castles said the landing triggered a No. 2 alert at the airport, one grade lower than the maximum alert issued for the emergency landing.

Passengers started disembarking from the plane around 10:30 p.m. Traffic was temporarily disrupted at the airport as two runways were closed following the incident. Normal operation resumed soon afterwards.

Alfred Hallenberger, a passenger on the jet, told L.A.'s Fox 11 News over phone that the plane vibrated strongly as it landed, and that "some passengers were nervous."

When the plane stopped, "there was clapping and cheers," he said.

A spokesman of the airline said in Mumbai that a probe had been ordered in to the mishap and the engineers were attending to the aircraft and depending upon the serviceability of the jet, it would depart again. Otherwise, he said, passengers would be accommodated by another airline.

The passengers were being shifted to a hotel till arrangements for their onward journey was made.