A300 Aborted Takeoff at Madrid; Pax Injured in evac

[daz211]

09/09/06



Ten passengers were injured when a Qatar Airways pilot decided to abort takeoff from Madrid's airport due to a suspected landing gear fault, airport officials said Saturday.
The pilot reported to the control tower that he was concerned about an unusual noise emanating from the plane's landing gear and decided to curtail his takeoff, slamming on the brakes and causing one tire to overheat, an airport spokeswoman said.
Airport emergency services attended the plane on the runway as passengers were evacuated rapidly. Ten suffered cuts and bruising, though one passenger was reported by medical service Samur to have broken a leg.
Around 30 passengers were treated for panic attacks, Samur said. The injured were taken to three Madrid hospitals.
The aircraft, which had been due to take off for Doha, Qatar, was taken to a hangar for a mechanical examination.
The incident did not affect the airport, which continued normal operations, the spokeswoman said. It was not known when the flight to Doha would resume. Qatar Airways was not available for comment.

[vapilot2004]

Few more details here:

Qatar Air flight delayed by brake problem
Posted: Saturday, September 09, 2006




Madrid


Ten people were injured as passengers scrambled to evacuate a Qatar Airways plane after one of its wheels caught fire in an aborted take-off at Madrid's Barajas airport, media reports said.

The injuries were sustained in the rush to get off the plane, an emergency services spokesman said on the Cadena-Sur radio station, adding that one person was taken to hospital with a fractured tibia.

An official statement said a Qatar Airways flight QR068 from Madrid to Doha had been delayed in Madrid for full safety checks following a technical problem with one of its brakes.

The incident happened at 2248 hrs (Spanish local time) last night. The aircraft was due to arrive at Doha International Airport early this morning (September 9) at 0635 hrs (Qatar local time).

The aircraft, an Airbus A300 with 207 passengers and 13 crew onboard, suffered overheating of a brake as it returned to the stand shortly after push back at Barajas International Airport in Madrid.

As per normal procedures, in the interests of the safety of all those on board, the captain declared an emergency and ordered an evacuation of all passengers and crew.

One passenger and one crew member were slightly injured during the evacuation and were taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.

Qatar Airways is working closely with the appropriate authorities to determine the cause of the incident. The aircraft is undergoing a full safety check and will only depart Madrid once the airline and authorities deem it is fit to do so.

Qatar Airways staff in Madrid worked quickly to transport all passengers and crew to a local hotel where they were accommodated overnight before being re-routed on alternative flights to their final destination.

An AFP report, citing Spanish media, said the pilot braked the plane sharply as it was about to take off on a flight to Doha, after he heard an unusual noise coming from the undercarriage.

His action reportedly caused one of the landing wheels to catch fire, prompting the emergency evacuation of the aircraft.

Emergency services put out the flames immediately.

[Airbubba]

The Kuwaitis had an A-306 lock a brake on the takeoff roll at KWI about a decade ago. An RTO was performed and the pax were evacuated. I believe a malfunctioning antiskid controller was to blame.

[perkin]

It sounds more likely that it was the evacuation which resulted in the pax injuries, not the rejected take-off, thread title is a little mis-leading...