US Airways Flight 1702 Pilot Aborts Takeoff Following Nose Gear Failure At Philadelphia
A major disaster was averted at the Philadelphia International Airport runway when a US Airways flight bound for Fort Lauderdale suffered a tire burst. The pilot elected to abort takeoff following which the aircraft suffered a nose gear collapse.
According to Reuters, the US Airways Flight 1702 carrying 154 passengers and crew was rolling down the runway for takeoff at 6:30 pm local time. Midway through the maneuver, the alert pilot was notified about the malfunction following which he aborted the takeoff. The plane however did suffer a nose gear collapse following which emergency slides were deployed and passengers evacuated quickly. The Aircraft was an Airbus A320.
According to Philadelphia Airport spokesperson Victoria Lupica, all the passengers are safe with no injuries reported. “Our main concern is the safety and security of the passengers on the plane, and also making sure that we move that aircraft safely to an area where it can be examined,” Lupica said. The runway on which the incident has been closed while authorities worked to remove the aircraft. However, there are no major delays expected with the airport having three other runways, reports the Philly.
According to US Airways spokesperson William McGlashen, while there were no serious injuries, two passengers did seek medical assistance. He also added that The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident. Meanwhile, US Airways have made arrangements for the passengers of flight 1702 to reach Fort Lauderdale on an alternative flight. The LA Times reports that at this time they are unsure if all the passengers have agreed to take the alternative flight to Fort Lauderdale.
While it is too early for investigators to determine the cause of this crash, reports are flying in about the fact that a tire burst might not be the actual cause of the disaster. According to this Daily Mail report, some passengers have reported that wind might have been a factor.
Meanwhile pictures and videos taken after the crash are being shared via Facebook, Twitter and Vine as we file this story. One image in particular has gone viral because of its rather funny nature. We are talking about this picture by Twitter user @han_horan which is already being touted by many to be one of the world’s unusual selfies!
so yup pic.twitter.com/2WuLUWzpND
— skip (@han_horan) March 13, 2014
Here’s another photography by the same person.
so my plane just crashed… pic.twitter.com/X51BLwa5PS
— skip (@han_horan) March 13, 2014
This Vine video was captured by one passenger, Dennis Fee using his cell phone.
The news that all passengers aboard US Airways Flight 1702 are safe is welcome news for the aviation industry which is still reeling under the mysterious disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 since March 8.
Image via Fox News/AP
