Nov 2, 2009, 9:32 GMT
Taipei - Taiwan's air force Monday ruled out an act of sabotage or human error for an incident in which a presidential plane carrying President Ma Ying-jeou had braking trouble after landing.
Trailing smoke and a small fire were seen when a Fokker 50 VIP transport plane with Ma on board landed at Chingchuankang airport in Taichung, central Taiwan, Sunday, an air force spokesman said.
The fire at the two main tyres on the right rear of the aircraft was spotted and put out by ground crew. All passengers, including Ma, were escorted off the plane and no one was injured, spokesman Su Wen-fu said.
'An initial finding has showed that the problem was not caused by human or environmental factors,' Su stressed.
The Defence Ministry later said the problem was caused by overheating of the brake rotors, and that it already sent the plane for a comprehensive overhaul.
Asked by reporters on Monday whether he felt panicked, Ma said: 'It's okay, it's okay. Just take it easy and no need to panic.'
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