Pvt airline flight on fire: Rudy, Venkaiah escape

BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu, Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and TDP Parliamentary party leader K. Yerran Naidu had a narrow e...

BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu, Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy and TDP Parliamentary party leader K. Yerran Naidu had a narrow escape today when fire broke out in the propeller of a Deccan Aviation plane on its inaugural flight to Vijayawada.

The fire was noticed by Rudy minutes before take off from Begumpet airport. The aircraft had 40 passengers on board.

When the aircraft was taxiing on the runway, Rudy is stated to have noticed smoke outside and alerted the crew. Even as VIPs were scurrying towards the emergency exit, the pilot announced that the engine was switched off and the fire extinguished.

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Spot investigations revealed that one of the clips meant to regulate fuel flow was damaged. This clip is supposed to revert fuel which leaks out during combustion back into the engine. Confirming this, Air Deccan MD G.R. Gopinath said this component did not fall in the category of parts which have to be replaced periodically.

It is, however, learnt that these components need to be checked during the flight inspection just before take off. This ATR 42 had been issued clearance at Bangalore this morning. According to Gopinath, this certificate is valid for 24 hours.