The engine of a Qeshm Airlines passenger jet exploded while taking off from Istanbul’s airport last Thursday afternoon, but the pilot managed to bring the plane to a stop on the runway with no injuries to any passengers or crew.
Most Iranian news outlets blamed the accident on the United States for refusing to sell replacement parts to Iranian airlines. But that sanction was lifted in January 2014, so that excuse for the frequent mishaps befalling Iranian aircraft no longer rings true.
According to the Istanbul daily Sabah and the Dogan news agency, the plane was an Airbus-300 B4 model. As the pilot increased speed for takeoff at Ataturk International Airport, the right engine exploded. Shrapnel from the engine punctured one of the tires. Flames engulfed the wing.
The pilot brought the plane to a halt and it did not leave the runway. Airport firemen arrived and extinguished the flames before they reached the passenger cabin.
The cabin crew got all the passengers off the flight safely. News reports said no one was hospitalized and the passengers soon took another aircraft to Tehran.
The engine was made by GE, an American firm, according to the Flight Safety Network.
Qeshm Airlines is a 22-year-old company that flies as far as Indonesia to the east and Cyprus to the west. It has 20 aircraft.
On May 17, 2001, a Qeshm Airlines Yak-40 departed from Tehran on a flight to Gorgan Airport carrying 30 people; including Transport Minister Rahman Dadman, two deputy ministers and seven members of the Majlis. It was forced to divert due to bad weather and was later discovered crashed in the Alborz Mountains near Sari. All on board perished.