Cessna jet bursts tire in takeoff at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines - A Cessna Citation jet leaving for Saipan busted its tires while about to take off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), causing a three-hour suspension of international flights starting at 8:15 p.m. Sunday.

The Citation jet, piloted by Capt. Cooper Charles Kenward and co-pilot Shima Toshihiro, was about to airlift two unidentified patients back to Won Pat International Airport in Guam. The patients were accompanied by nurses Eunice Neil and Mathew Keath.

Investigators initially found that the right main landing gear exploded and caught fire on Runway 24. The Manila International Airport Authority rescue firefighting team extinguished the blaze and evacuated the four passengers to safety.

Airport officials said the incident forced several arriving aircraft, both domestic and international, to be diverted to the Macapagal International Airport in Pampanga while others delayed their takeoff from their point of departure.   – Rudy Santos