At least 11 people were wounded on a Cathay Pacific flight at Hong Kong’s international airport early on Saturday after the plane aborted takeoff due to a technical glitch, the airline said in a statement.
The flight, which was set to depart from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, had 17 crew members and 293 passengers aboard.
It performed “an aborted takeoff in accordance with standard procedures after a technical issue was detected by the crew.”
The victims of the incident sustained wounds during a precautionary evacuation at the back gate when the passengers were exiting the aeroplane using five-door escape slides, said Cathay.
“Nine of the eleven passengers who received treatment at hospitals have been discharged,” it said. “Our colleagues will continue to provide support to the two hospitalised passengers and their families.”
In the statement, the airline company apologised for the disruption caused by the incident.
One of the plane’s tyres overheated causing it to burst, public broadcaster RTHK reported, citing police.
Scoot plane heading from South Korea to Singapore lands in Taiwan with missing wheel
Earlier this week, a Scoot aeroplane, that departed from South Korea for Singapore, was found to have a missing nose wheel upon its arrival in Taipei during a scheduled stop.
According to a statement released by the airlines, the flight connecting Seoul, Taipei and Singapore, detected a technical fault upon landing at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
“The flight which was originally scheduled to depart from Taipei to Singapore at 1.30 am was subsequently cancelled,” it added.
According to Taiwanese media outlets, the left nose wheel toppled at the time the plane was landing at 12:06 am after sensors detected abnormal tyre pressure before the aeroplane’s descent.
“When the plane landed, the left tyre and metal rim on the nose gear were shorn off, leaving only the right nose tyre to keep the plane upright and moving,” reported Taiwan News.
As per the aviation safety portal SKYbrary, a nose wheel assists a plane in directional control during take-off and landing, and “allows the aircraft to manoeuvre whilst on the ground”.
(With inputs from agencies)
