Blow-out in DC 10 tyre

Press, 22 November 1980, Page 1

Blow-out in DC 10 tyre

. An Air New Zealand DCIO pilot brought his aircraft to a safe landing after a tyre burst on 1 touch-down ‘ in strong cross-winds at Christ- : church Airport last even- i ing. 1 Captain D. Fahey earned 1 praise from the Minister t of Civil Aviation (Mr 1 McLachlan) one of his t 205 passengers, for bringing the jet to a controlled < halt at the southern end : of the runway. ' “He did a magnificent 1 job: I could feel him' con- r

trolling it against the wind,” said Mr McLachlan from his West Melton home. The DCIO was ending a flight from Sydney when it touched down at 5.15 p.m. “It felt just as if a gust of wind had caught us as we touched down, a little hard on one side,” the Minister said. Passengers were disembarked from the damaged aircraft at the run-, way end and travelled the 1.5 kilometres to the terminal by bus. Mr McLachlan said the

passengers had been advised of the strong cross-winds during the airport approach but nobody appeared worried' during the landing. “Everyone was smiling and realised there was nothing to get upset about,” he said.

Air New Zealand’s airport manager, Mr N. A. Nisbet, said that although blow-outs on touchdown were not common, it was not a “significant situation.” The DCIO was back in condition for service about two hours after the incident. The wheel had been replaced on the runway, he said. The aircraft had been scheduled to leave Christchurch for Auckland at 6.30 p.m. on the first leg of a flight to North America.

However, technical adjustments required for the replacement wheel delayed'departure of the aircraft until about 10 p.m.