A Boeing 737-400SF from Total Linhas Aéreas is currently stopped on one of the runways at São Paulo International Airport in Guarulhos (SP) on the morning of Saturday, November 9, after landing and catching fire. Around 07:30, firefighters were still working on the aircraft.
The aircraft, registration PS-TLB, a 737-400 freighter, departed from Vitória (ES) at 23:34 on flight TTL5682, bound for Guarulhos, where it landed at 00:42 on runway 28L, with firefighting teams waiting near the runway.
At 00:44, already stationary on the runway, the air traffic controller in the Control Tower confirmed that he saw fire and that firefighters were already around the aircraft, beginning to combat the flames. The pilots responded that they had already shut down the engines so that the firefighters could carry out their work, according to our media partner in Brazil, AEROIN.
Shortly afterward, the controller asked if they would evacuate, but he received no response. Moments later, to keep the pilots informed, though uncertain if they were still listening to the frequency, the controller reported that firefighters were chocking the aircraft (placing blocks around the wheels to prevent it from moving).
At 00:49, in contact with another aircraft at the airport, the controller informed that both runways remained closed due to the emergency and that the pilots had exited the plane through the cockpit window using the escape rope.
In the images, several burned areas on the fuselage are visible, although there is still no information on the extent of the damage. It has been confirmed that the pilots safely evacuated the aircraft.
Preliminary reports indicate that a fire broke out on board during the flight, leading to an emergency landing.
Since Guarulhos Airport has two runways, operations were only temporarily affected until the other runway was cleared for landings and takeoffs.
TOTAL Linhas Aéreas has four 737-400SFs in its fleet: PS-TLE, PS-TLA, PS-TLB, and PS-TLF, with an average age of 28.2 years. The PS-TLB that caught fire in Guarulhos was manufactured in April 1994 and operated for various airlines, including Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, Enter Air, and ASL, until joining TOTAL in May 2024.
In september, it was reported that TOTAL was in negotiations with the Chinese manufacturer COMAC to incorporate C919 aircraft, which would mark the model’s debut in the Western Hemisphere.
See also: Total Linhas Aéreas negotiates with COMAC for early delivery of C919 amid global supply shortages
