2010-09-13 11:26

XI'AN - A commercial jet carrying more than 100 passengers caused a scare after landing Sunday at an airport in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, but no one was hurt, the airport authority and carrier said Monday.

Thick smoke was seen coming from a set of tires when the jet, run by China Southern Airlines, was taxiing from the runway to the terminal building of Xianyang International Airport in the suburbs of Xi'an, the airport authority said in a press release.

The MD90 landed in Xi'an around midday, after a three-hour flight from Shenyang of the northeastern Liaoning Province, it said.

"Many witnesses thought there was a fire, and panicked," said an airport worker on condition of anonymity.

He said he saw passengers being evacuated from the jet after it stopped. "Several fire engines were called in, preparing to put out the fire."

The airport authority said there were no casualties.

China Southern Airlines said it was a false alarm. "The smoke was caused by an oil leak in one of the tires and high temperature in the wheel hub," said service manager Zhou Yi.

He estimated the wheel hub was around 500 degrees Celsius when the smoke was seen.

He said the jet took off from Xi'an again at 9 pm Sunday after maintenance.

On August 24, a Brazilian-made ERJ-190 jet operated by Henan Airlines crashed upon landing at Lindu Airport in Yichun City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, killing 42 and injuring 54 people on board. It is the deadliest commercial plane crash in China since 2004.