Several Passengers Injured During Evacuation After Flight Catches Fire While Landing

A Boeing 767 flight caught fire after a failed landing, engulfing the tail of the airplane in a cloud of smoke. A “loud bang” caused unrest and panic among the 334 passengers who were on their way back from Vietnam to the Russian city of Barnaul on Wednesday. Several passengers sustained injuries during the evacuation process.

The flight, operated by Russian airlines Azur air, reportedly had its main landing gear on fire when it attempted to land again. There were no injuries pertaining to the landing, but the panic among passengers during the evacuation process caused chaos and some of them even sustained injuries like fractured leg and bruises.

A woman passenger on the flight shared her experience of the flight and said: “Someone shouted: ‘We’re on fire’.” She added that there were panic and stress among the passengers to exit the flight as soon as possible.

As many as 20 passengers were injured during the evacuation process as they were instructed to go down the emergency slide, one of which was allegedly not deployed suitably. The 334 passengers were then told to run a distance of almost a mile as there was a risk of the airplane exploding. However, some reports said as many as 56 passengers sustained injuries in the process.

Another passenger said the crew was very helpful in the whole process and that “A stewardess yelled in different languages and threw people off onto the gangway.” The firefighters quickly rushed to the spot and took control of the situation.

After the incident, an Azur Air representative told Simply Flying that “Azur air confirms that ZF-2244 flight faced right landing gear fire while landing roll. The aircraft stopped at the runway threshold. In order to ensure flight safety, the cabin crew had begun immediate evacuation according to instructions.”

The airline added that around 20 passengers were provided medical attention and that the airline has launched an investigation along with aviation authorities, the aircraft manufacturer and the airport.