DHL cargo plane lands at Baghdad airport with wing on fire

Associated Press | November 22, 2003

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BAGHDAD (AP) -- A civilian cargo plane landed at Baghdad International Airport Saturday with its wing on fire, the military and witnesses said.

The plane was trailing thick smoke and part of its wingtip was missing as it overflew Baghdad's Mahmoudiya district prior to touching down, said a witness who asked not to be identified.

Capt. Carrie Clear, a spokeswoman for the U.S. military base at the airport, said the pilot had declared an in-flight emergency. The plane, belonging to the DHL package delivery service, landed safely and no one was hurt, she said.

The military spokeswoman said an investigation had been launched into the incident. It was not immediately clear whether the flames had been caused by a technical malfunction, or whether the aircraft had been hit by ground fire, Clear said.

In recent weeks, insurgents have shot down five U.S. helicopters using shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles and rocket propelled grenades. About 40 U.S. servicemen were killed and nearly two dozen injured.

The DHL plane, an Airbus 300, was headed from Baghdad to Bahrain with three crew members on board when it turned around and made an emergency landing in Baghdad at 0630 GMT, company spokeswoman Patricia Thomson said in Belgium. She said it was unclear what had caused the emergency.

"We are relieved that everyone is well and there are no injuries to the crew," she said. The plane was on a regular cargo run, Thomson said.

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