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F-16IN suffers tyre blow outs during Aero India

February 15, 2009 (by Asif Shamim) - Two tyres on the F-16IN demonstrator jet blew out during landing after displaying on the final day of the Aero India International air show. No one was reported injured.

UAEAF F-16F block 60 #3009 is buzzing by the lens at Aero India. The aircraft is used by Lockheed as demonstration aircraft for the Indian F-16IN tender for 126 multi-role aircraft. Note the 'F-16IN' markings on the tail base. [Photo by Rahul Devnath]

"Both the left and right rear tyres burst one after the other due to heat and friction," F-16 test pilot Paul Randall told reporters after the incident at the airshow.

"An indication that the right tyre was going to burst before landing was shown on the flight control panel before the landing," Randell said.

Lockheed Martin which is aiming to sell 126 F-16INs to India reported that accident did not disrupt the proceedings on the final day of the show. "The tyres was changed within 30 minutes, which is a perfect example of this aircraft's maintainability," the company said.

The F-16IN, a UAEAF block 60 marked up by the company as a demonstrator was the same jet in which Indian sportsman Abhinav Bindra had taken a backseat ride in a few days earlier.