Fire on Airbus A319-115 Injures 36 Passengers in China

An Airbus A319-115 passenger bus veered off the runway during takeoff and caught fire in the Tibet region of China Thursday.  The crash sent black smoke billowing into the air and injured more than 36 passengers and aircrew.

The Airbus A319-115, with 122 people aboard, left Chongqing for Nyingchi, in the Tibetan region of China, after leaving the city of Chongqing in the southwestern part of the country.

In videos shared by state media, the aircraft’s left side appeared to be on fire as people headed away from the scene.

Tibet Airlines said that the videos also showed fire trucks spraying water on the Airbus A319. Tibet Airlines reported that the accident occurred at 8:09 a.m. (0109 GMT).

All 113 passengers and nine flight crew aboard the Airbus A319-115 jet were evacuated.

Passengers injured evacuation the Airbus A319.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), 36 people were injured during the evacuation.

During the takeoff, the flight crew discovered an abnormality with the aircraft and stopped takeoff as required by procedure.

About two hours after the accident, the airport announced that flights had resumed and an investigation was underway. The CAAC said that one runway remained closed.

According to Wikipedia, as of June 2020, there have been 20 aviation accidents and incidents involving the Airbus A319, including three hull-loss accidents.

No fatal accidents have been recorded involving the A319 aircraft.

The A319 is a short-fuselage version of Airbus’ single-aisle A320 jetliner that proves versatile with a range of seating options, from a 110-seat configuration to a capacity of 160, all of which offer the highest level of passenger comfort.