Air India flight faces snag, emergency landing made safe

#News Bureau October 11,2024

The Air India Express flight which had a hydraulic failure on Friday evening in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, has finally landed safely. The Civil Aviation Ministry has said that the DGCA was monitoring the entire situation. It said that the landing gear was opening, the plane landed normally, the airport was put on alert mode.

Earlier, an emergency was declared mid-air due to this fault. The plane kept flying over the airport for about two hours to finish the fuel so that any major danger like fire could be avoided due to the fuel running out during landing. The plane had 140 passengers on board and it took off from Trichy airport for Sharjah at 5.43 pm, but it developed a technical fault shortly after. The plane was hovering over the Trichy airspace. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has expressed happiness over the safe landing.

I am heartened to hear that the #AirIndiaExpress flight has landed safely. Upon receiving news of the landing gear issue, I immediately coordinated an emergency meeting with officials over the phone and instructed them to implement all necessary safety measures, including… — M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 11, 2024

Airport Director Gopalakrishnan was quoted by ANI as saying that the plane was circling the airspace to reduce fuel before landing at Trichy airport. As a precaution, fire engines, rescue workers and ambulances reached the airport.

Gopalakrishnan said, ‘More than 20 ambulances and fire engines have been kept on standby at the airport to ensure that there is no major accident.

According to the Trichy airport director, the pilot had informed the air station about a hydraulic failure. Hydraulic failure in an aircraft occurs when a system that uses pressurized fluid to control critical parts such as the landing gear, brakes and flaps stops working properly.

Before the plane landed safely, Trichy district collector had told India Today that the airport director informed that there was no cause for concern, and the plane would be able to land safely. The airport is preparing for a belly landing, which is when the plane lands without using its landing gear.

Earlier, fuel dumping was being considered to make the plane lighter. However, this option was not chosen as the plane was circling over residential areas.