Takeoff Delayed 20 Minutes Due to Aircraft Spacing Adjustment
Wings Fully Fueled... Evacuation Delay Could Have Been Dangerous
An Air Busan aircraft carrying 170 passengers at Gimhae Airport experienced a delayed takeoff, during which a fire broke out on the ground. It was reported that passengers breathed a sigh of relief as the situation could have escalated into a much larger accident.
On the 29th, Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan (far left), and firefighters who visited the site of the Air Busan aircraft fire accident are looking at the burned aircraft. Busan City
On the 29th, the Busan Fire Department announced that at around 10:15 PM the previous day, a fire was reported inside the tail section of Air Busan flight BX391, bound for Hong Kong, which was preparing for takeoff at the Gimhae Airport apron with 170 passengers and 6 crew members on board.
However, Yonhap News reported that passengers stated the fire started earlier than the reported time. A female passenger in her 20s seated in row 33 said that all passengers were seated at the time. The plane’s door was closed, having missed the scheduled departure time of 9:55 PM, and the crew had completed safety instructions.
Meanwhile, an announcement was made inside the cabin that the departure would be delayed by about 20 minutes due to the distance from the preceding aircraft. The passenger testified, "After hearing that announcement, I waited about 5 minutes when the fire broke out." She recalled the fire started around 10:05 PM and is presumed to have originated from the left overhead bin directly in front of her seat.
The passenger said, "If the departure had not been delayed, the fire would have started after the plane took off, which is a chilling thought." She added, "During the emergency evacuation, I inhaled about three big puffs of smoke and immediately felt tightness in my chest."
After the fire broke out, among the two emergency exits at the tail section, passengers opened the left door while the crew opened the right door, according to the passengers’ recollections. A passenger seated in the 30s row recalled, "The crew might have opened the door incorrectly because they closed it again and then reopened it." Another passenger in row 27 said, "Passengers were pulling and pushing each other, and instead of the crew facilitating evacuation through the emergency exit, passengers were helping each other."
At the time, the aircraft was fully fueled before takeoff, making the delayed evacuation a potentially dangerous situation. Kim Dong-hak, the on-site response team leader of Gangseo Fire Station, said, "Upon learning that the aircraft was carrying 35,000 pounds of aviation fuel in both wings, the fire brigade focused on defense using special vehicles." He added, "A southeast wind was blowing at 10 meters per second, and we did our best to prevent the fire from spreading continuously to the aviation fuel."
Fortunately, aside from minor injuries, no casualties occurred in the incident.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
