F-16 Tyres Burst At Indian Air Show
February 15 2009 - 7:27AM
Dow Jones News
BANGALORE (AFP)--Two tyres of an F-16 burst while the fighter
jet was landing after a display at an Indian air show on Sunday,
the organizers said, adding that no one was hurt.
U.S.-based aerospace giant Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), which
hopes to sell 126 such jets to India, said the accident did not
disrupt other flights on the final day of the five-day show in this
southern Indian city.
"Both the left and right rear tyres burst one after the other
due to heat and friction," F-16 test pilot Paul Randall told
reporters after the blowouts at the air show.
"An indication that the right tyre was going to burst before
landing was shown on the flight control panel before the landing,"
Randell said as the company in a statement added that no one was
hurt.
Besides Lockheed Martin, five global aerospace companies are in
the race to win the Indian fighter jet deal estimated to be worth
$12 billion.