A public relations stunt by Fiji Air at Labasa turned to near disaster when flames shot out of an aircraft engine.
This was reported by this newspaper on Monday April 13, 1992.
According to the article, Labasa business and community leaders were on board the airline’s new Chinese-built complimentary ride when flames flared from the port (left) engine. Flames had shot out of the exhaust pipes on either side of the propeller.
Pilots immediately stopped the engines.
Guests inside the aircraft panicked. One opened the aircraft door from inside and all made a quick exit.
Four of them — including a couple and their two-year-old son jumped off the plane without waiting for the ladder to be put in place by the ground crew.
The article highlighted that one of the passengers, Radio Fiji’s Northern Division News Bureau chief Veresi Bainivualiku said a sudden brightness inside the aircraft alerted them.
“Somehow all of us yelled, fire!” Bainivualiku said.
“There was a call for passengers not to panic but passengers began making their way to the door”.
Bainivualiku said the fire was seen clearly from where he was seated — on the first row on the left.
Labasa’s deputy mayor, Bale Korovakaturaga and wife of Labasa Mill general manager, Ratu Tomasi Korovakaturaga said the flash caused by the fire alerted her too.
“And I knew something was wrong when I saw the pilots turning the knobs furiously”.
She said a passenger groped around for the handle and opened the door.
She and other passengers were visibly shaken as were guests who watched the incident from the tarmac.
All said it was fortunate the accident had happened while the aircraft was on the ground.
There was some confusion among the ground crew when the fire broke out.
The airport fire tender was not available, and the aircraft’s ladder was not rushed to the plane when passengers opened the door.
Firemen had worked the required number of hours and left the airport.
The guests were on the third and last free trip the domestic airline had organised.
Among them were the Divisional Police Commander Northern, Superintendent Marika Sau, National Bank of Fiji’s Labasa manager, William Wakeham, Labasa Chamber of Commerce president, Shiu Lal Nagindas, and Sugar Cane Growers Council Labasa manager Timoci Naivaluwaqa.
Fiji Air’s director of human resources and commercial services Satiya Sami said the incident was a common occurrence in an aircraft.
“It happens when the engine is overheated,” he said.
“It’s a regular occurrence and pilots know how to handle such cases.
‘There was no real danger to passengers”.
