Kathmandu, May 11 — Turkish Airlines said no passengers or crew were injured after smoke was seen coming from the landing gear of its Airbus A330 (registration TC-JNP) operating flight TK726 from Istanbul to Kathmandu. The aircraft landed normally, but smoke was later observed on the taxiway and, as a precaution, passengers were evacuated using slides. The airline said the evacuation was completed successfully.
There were 278 passengers and 11 crew on board, including some United Nations officials. Airport police and fire teams reported that a tyre fire was visible during landing; fire engines contained the blaze and all on board were safely evacuated, airport security official SP Rajkumar Silawal told ANI.
Turkish Airlines said an additional flight has been scheduled for the return leg and that authorized technical teams have begun inspections. Initial examinations indicate the smoke originated from a malfunction in a hydraulic pipe.
This report is based on information from Turkish Airlines, airport authorities and a syndicated ANI feed published by The Tribune.
