7 Hurt as Plane Crash-Lands at Tijuana Airport
An Aeromexico DC-10 airliner with 112 people aboard crash-landed at Tijuana airport after its landing gear malfunctioned, officials said Saturday.
Seven passengers suffered minor injuries as they slid down an emergency chute to evacuate the jet Friday night, said David Martinez, chief of security at the airport.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. There were reports of an engine fire and of problems with the left landing gear.
An Aeromexico employee at the airport identified the plane as a DC-10 but referred inquiries to offices in Mexico City, where calls were unanswered.
The plane was headed for Guadalajara, said Tijuana firefighter Adrian Callega.
The plane took off about 10 p.m. and airport controllers noted that the left landing gear remained down after the plane was airborne, Martinez said. The plane circled and then returned. On landing the gear caught fire, he said.
The airport remained closed because the plane and parts of the gear remained on the runway.
A Tijuana firefighter said there was a fire in the engine on the left side and the landing gear on that side lost hydraulic power. The landing gear broke on landing, said the firefighter, who declined to identify himself.
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