A Saudia Airlines flight carrying 250 Hajj pilgrims experienced a technical snag with its landing gear upon arrival at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport early Sunday. Flight SV 3112, which took off from Jeddah at 10:45 pm on Saturday, landed in Lucknow around 6:30 am Sunday morning.
Airport officials reported that smoke and sparks were seen from the aircraft’s left wheel moments after touchdown. The situation prompted the pilot to halt the plane immediately and inform air traffic control.
Following emergency protocols, the aircraft was towed to the taxiway. All 250 passengers and crew members were safely deboarded without injury. Authorities praised the pilot’s quick response in averting a potential disaster. An investigation into the mechanical fault is currently underway. Airport operations remained unaffected.
The airport’s emergency response team acted swiftly, reaching the spot within minutes and successfully bringing the situation under control within 20 minutes using foam and water. The glitch was later identified as a sudden hydraulic leak that caused the wheel assembly to overheat, triggering the sparks.
Officials stated that the consequences could have been far more severe had the malfunction occurred during takeoff instead of landing. Fortunately, all passengers and crew were safely deboarded after the plane was moved to a taxiway.
Flight passenger recounts mid-air scare
A passenger aboard the Jeddah-Lucknow Saudia flight, which reported smoke from its wheels upon landing, described the tense moments on board.
“There were around 284 passengers. During landing, the pilot used emergency brakes. Fire brigade vehicles rushed in and doused the smoke within 20 minutes,” the passenger said. He added that the cabin crew remained calm and reassured the passengers, explaining that there was no immediate danger.
The flight, which was scheduled to return to Saudi Arabia without passengers, remains grounded pending technical inspection and repairs.
The incident follows closely on the heels of a tragic crash involving an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London. The aircraft crashed into the campus of a medical college in Meghaninagar shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 pm on June 12, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew, along with 29 people on the ground.