False fire alarm sparks panic at Chennai Airport after routine cargo plane landing

CHENNAI: Panic briefly gripped Chennai International Airport (Meenambakkam) early Tuesday morning following a false alarm about a cargo plane fire. The incident happened after smoke spewed from the tyres while landing, which was misinterpreted and led to widespread rumours of a major blaze.

The situation began around 4:00 am when a private cargo flight arriving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, touched down at the airport's old cargo terminal. During the landing rollout, the aircraft's tires experienced significant friction with the runway surface, generating an unusually large amount of smoke – a phenomenon known as tire smoke or a "rubber deposit."

Runway maintenance personnel observing the smoke mistakenly interpreted it as a sign the aircraft's tires had caught fire. They immediately alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower about a potential fire hazard. Acting swiftly on this information, ATC notified the airport's Fire and Rescue Services (FRS).

FRS crews rushed multiple fire tenders to the location where the cargo plane had come to a stop. Firefighters conducted a thorough inspection of the entire aircraft, paying special attention to the landing gear and tires.

The FRS inspection conclusively determined there was no fire. Officials confirmed the smoke was solely caused by the intense friction of the tires on the runway during the landing deceleration, exacerbated by the aircraft's weight and speed. Aviation engineers present corroborated that such tire smoke, while perhaps more pronounced than usual in this instance, is a known and relatively common occurrence, especially with long-haul and heavily laden cargo aircraft upon landing.

"The smoke was solely due to tire friction upon landing," stated a senior fire official. "There were no signs of fire ignition, overheating beyond the friction point, or any damage that would constitute a fire incident." Airport security officials also conducted a separate inspection, verifying the aircraft was fully intact and safe.

Despite the rapid confirmation that there was no fire, unfounded rumours began circulating wildly within the airport complex and on social media. Reports falsely claimed a cargo plane had caught fire upon landing, was burning, and that fire crews were actively battling flames. These rumours caused significant alarm and commotion among airport personnel and others within the vicinity.

Airport authorities have confirmed they have initiated a formal investigation to determine the origin and source of the false fire rumours. "The prompt response by our fire services was based on an initial, well-intentioned but incorrect observation," said an airport spokesperson. "However, the subsequent spread of entirely false information about an active fire caused unnecessary panic. We are determined to find out how and why this misinformation spread so rapidly."

Operations at Chennai International Airport returned to normal shortly after the incident was confirmed as a false alarm. The cargo flight itself was cleared after inspections and is understood to have proceeded with its schedule.