New Delhi: A US Air Force aircraft with 111 Defence personnel on board made an emergency landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi today (Feb 20, 2004) after fire was detected in one of its engines, police and airport sources said.

The KC-10, mid-air refuelling aircraft, had taken off from the airport at 14:10 hours (IST) after refuelling when the crew noticed fire in the engine at 14:26 hours, they said.

Full emergency was declared at the airport with fire-tenders rushing to the tarmac to meet any eventuality, the sources said.

The fire was extinguished even as the aircraft was in the air and it landed safely at around 14:42 hours, they said.

All the people on board were safely evacuated and the emergency was called off at 14:49 hours, they said.

The plane, which had come along with F-15 fighter jets for participating in the Indo-US "Cope-India-04" joint exercises in Gwalior, was en route to Anderson Air Base in Guam, the sources said.