False fire warning forces Air India pilot to abort take off at last minute

A false fire warning in the cockpit of Air India's Ahmedabad-bound flight tonight forced its pilot to abort take off at the last minute at the city airport.

Air India is making necessary arrangements for an alternative aircraft to fly passengers to their destination, an Air India spokesperson said.

The flight was carrying 182 passengers on board when its pilot aborted take-off after ground staff noticed a fire in the left side engine of the aircraft.

However, it turned out to be a false warning, according to the Air India spokesperson.

The spokesperson said the pilot aborted the takeoff due to a false warning in the cockpit indicating fire.

The pilot immediately switched off both the engines and the Airbus A321 aircraft was towed to chokes, a source at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) said.

"Air India flight AI 091, operating on Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, had rejected a take off," the source said.

"At 21.26 PM, the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) manager who was following the aircraft reported visible fire in port engine and the pilot-in-command (PIC) switched off both the engines," according to the source.

The aircraft was further towed to chokes on at 2145 hours, the source said, adding that at 2150 hrs the PIC reported that take-off was rejected due to a stall warning.

A stall warning is an electronic or mechanical device that sounds an audible warning as the stall speed is approached.

"However, no fire media was used by the ARFF team," the source added.