Bird strike grounds Air Zimbabwe Gatwick bound flight
09.05.08
An Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767 with 91 passengers onboard and bound for Gatwick Airport aborted take-off yesterday in Malawi when two birds were sucked into its engines, setting them on fire. The captain slammed on brakes, resulting in eight rear tyres bursting into flames.
The aircraft, which had stopped over in Lilongwe to refuel (because of fuel shortages in Zimbabwe, long haul flights go via Malawi to pick up fuel), was on its initial stage of take-off when it struck the birds.
The captain had applied full throttle power to the engines but had not yet reached take-off speed, which meant that it could brake and stop on the runway. Firefighters managed to put out the fire before it spread to the rest of the plane.
Alfred Mtilatila, the chief aviation officer at Kamuzu International airport in Lilongwe, said the incident happened at 08:00 local time. He confirmed the plane struck two birds. He said: 'Nobody was hurt. All of the passengers were evacuated to safety. We have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.'
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