Aviation disaster averted! Air India Express plane escaped miraculously after hitting Trichy airport wall

The airline stated that the decision to divert the aircraft to Mumbai was taken as a precautionary measure, adding "The flight diverted to Mumbai, landed safely around 5.35 am in Mumbai, and taxied on its own power to the parking stand."

A Dubai-bound Air India Express flight had a miraculous escape when the aircraft's wheels hit a perimeter wall during take off in Tiruchirappalli in the early hours of Friday. Image source: IANS

A Dubai-bound Air India Express flight, which had a miraculous escape when the aircraft's wheels hit a perimeter wall during take off in Tiruchirappalli in the early hours of Friday, continued tor Dubai with 136 passengers and crew members on-board, but was eventually diverted to Mumbai. Reacting promptly over the incident, Air India Express' statement said that the pilots of the aircraft have been "derostered" pending investigation.

The statement further said, "The matter was conveyed to the pilot in command. The pilot in command reported that the aircraft systems were operating normally." Officials reportedly said the plane's wheels had hit the wall.

The airline stated that the decision to divert the aircraft to Mumbai was taken as a precautionary measure, adding "The flight diverted to Mumbai, landed safely around 5.35 am in Mumbai, and taxied on its own power to the parking stand." According to the Air India Express statement, "The 130 passengers and six crew members on-board the aircraft were alighted safely. No one suffered any injuries."

Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu, meanwhile, has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Prabhu said he has spoken to secretary and other senior officials of the civil aviation department and has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident, through his twitter account.

He said, "In a recent review on airline safety, I have ordered to put in place a third party professional organisation to look into various safety aspects at @airindiain", and further added, "In order to have continuous attention towards air safety, I have also ordered concerned officials to put in place a regular "safety compliance report" of all airlines."

According to him, "Safety of the passengers is of paramount importance for us. We will take all that’s required to put safety on top of aviation agenda. Growth can’t be at the expense of safety." He also assured that "DGCA officers are at site for preliminary inquiry and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau officers have also been deputed."

टेकऑफ के दौरान एयरपोर्ट की दीवार से टकराया #AirIndia का विमान, सरकार ने दिया घटना की जांच का आदेश pic.twitter.com/OVMJVROFoG

— Zee Business (@ZeeBusiness) October 12, 2018

"Air India has constituted a Sub-Committee of the Board headed by an Independent Director of the Board for looking at all safety related issues within the organisation including subsidiaries," Prabhu added.

The airline statement, however, stated, “The pilot in command was Capt. D. Ganesh Babu who has a flying experience on the B 737 aircraft of 3600 hours including about 500 hours as Commander. The First Officer was Capt. Anurag who has an experience of about 3,000 hours on the B 737. The two pilots have been de-rostered pending investigation. The matter has been duly reported to the DGCA and the airline is fully cooperating with the investigation.”

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Tamil Nadu Minister Vellamandi Natrajan reportedly visited the spot and inspected the damages to the wall, adjacent to a state highway.

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