IRAN AIR SKIDS ON RUNWAYPassengers on an Iran Air flight were lucky to escape with their lives when their ageing aircraft made an emergency landing in Beijing shortly after take-off.
Incredibly, no one was injured as the plane came to a halt on its nose.
Iran Air flight IR 800 landed at 0933 (0133 GMT) en route from Tehran to Tokyo.
An Air China official said the problem was with the Boeing 747's landing gear.
Iran Air's country manager in Beijing, Alireza Fakhred, said the plane, carrying about 120 passengers, had had some "problems with the engines".
Iran Air uses Boeing 747SPs on the route, according to the company's website.
Boeing delivered its last 747 to Iran Air in 1979 just before the Islamic revolution after which the United States cut ties with Iran, according to
www.boeing.com.
Since the revolution, Iran has been forced to supplement its fleet of Boeing and European-made Airbus airliners with planes bought or leased from the former Soviet Union which have suffered a string of fatal accidents.
Iran Air has found it hard to get spare parts for its Boeing aircraft since the US embargo that followed the revolution, airline sources say.
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