By Our Special Correspondent
About 185 people on board a Delhi-bound aircraft on Sunday had a close shave as the plane caught fire soon after take-off from the airport here and made an emergency landing minutes later, officials said. Gaurav, one of the passengers told media persons, “As the plane was taking off on the runway, we heard peculiar sounds thud, thud and as it became airborne, I saw fire in the engine, and I was on the window seat.”
A full emergency was declared at the airport and the situation was dealt with effectively,” airport director Atul Prakash informed. There seemed to be some confusion, though, about the duration for which the plane remained airborne. Airport officials said the emergency landing took place within 10 minutes of the takeoff while many passengers claimed they spent "15-20 minutes" inside the plane.
There seemed to be some confusion, though, about the duration for which the plane remained airborne. Airport officials said the emergency landing took place within 10 minutes of the takeoff while many passengers claimed they spent "15-20 minutes" inside the plane.
The post-landing flight inspection showed that three fan blades of the jet’s left engine were damaged in the suspected bird hit. The airport director said the airline made an alternative arrangement for stranded passengers to reach their destination.
On July 17, 2000, the airport had hit the headlines when a Delhi-bound Boeing 737 aircraft, coming from Kolkata, ploughed through a residential colony soon after take-off killing more than 60 people, including six local residents.
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