Ural Airlines’ A320 blocks runway for 12 hours after brakes jam while landing in Irkutsk
An Airbus A320-200 operated by Russia’s Ural Airlines paralyzed Irkutsk Airport (IKT) for 12 hours after the aircraft’s brakes malfunctioned during landing.
The aircraft, registration RA-73830, had conducted flight U62942 between Dushanbe (DYU) and IKT when the incident took place.
Jammed landing gear
Upon landing, the pneumatics in the aircraft’s landing gear broke down, according to a report by Russian state press agency TASS.
All four tires of the aircraft’s main landing gear also blew out during the landing, news site RBK claimed, citing an airport spokesperson.
According to telegram channel Aviatorschina, which regularly publishes insider information from Russia’s aviation industry, the aircraft’s brake pressure indicator showed the brakes were engaged at a height of 450 meters (1476 feet).
The pilots performed various troubleshooting procedures, such as turning the brakes on and off again. However, their efforts were to no avail, Aviatorschina added.
According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft landed at 3:30 pm UTC (15:30 IRKT).
CCTV footage captured at the airport, which was later published by Sliva Irkutsk Telegram channel, shows smoke and sparks pouring out of the landing gear as the aircraft proceeded to land.
12 hours on the runway
According to TASS, the aircraft was carrying 77 passengers and crew, while RBK reports that 70 passengers and five crew members were onboard.
Both sources referred to airport officials and claimed that nobody was injured during the incident.
Following the landing, IKT began to redirect flights to other airports, including Ulan-Ude (UDD) and Krasnoyarsk (KIA).
The next flight to land at IKT was not until the morning of November 3, Flightradar24 data shows.
According to Aviatorschina, the broken-down A320 had blocked the airport’s runway for 12 hours before finally being removed.
14 flights were redirected to IKT due to the incident, according to local media outlet IrCity.ru. The website also offered a differing account of the number of people onboard at the time of the incident, referencing airport officials as saying the aircraft had carried 83 passengers and six crew.