AI constitutes panel to look into aircraft tyre burst incident

Air India's chief of flight safety has constituted a committee to investigate along with aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) the case of tyre burst in which an Air India flight with over 160 passengers had a narrow escape on Tuesday night.

Sources said statements of the pilot and crew members have been recorded.

Officials of the DGCA that is probing the case visited the city airport and accessed the aircraft.

The incident happened on AI 630 flight (Nagpur-Mumbai), which had around 160 passengers on board. An Air India spokesperson did not offer any comment on the incident. Airport sources said passengers sustained minor injuries.

While aviation experts and airline insiders claimed that the tyre burst is nothing unusual and can happen with any aircraft, certain sources in the airline alleged that the DGCA should also investigate whether proper maintenance of the aircraft was being done and if it was fit to fly. They also alleged that on certain occasions rules have been bent for the national carrier.

The incident comes days after a hard landing of Jet Airways flight after the landing gear developed a snag, which led to the aircraft's right engine touching the runway. The primary runway remained closed for around 12 hours.