An air ambulance, on the way from Nagpur to Hyderabad, made an emergency landing at the Mumbai airport on Thursday after reporting a technical snag. The Beechcraft VT-JIL aircraft declared a full emergency after losing a wheel during take-off from Nagpur and made a belly-landing at 9:09 pm.
The air ambulance carrying two crew members, a patient, a relative and a doctor was diverted to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The wheel of the Beechcraft VT-JIL aircraft, belonging to Jetserve Aviation, fell off at Nagpur airport soon after take-off. The fallen wheel was noticed by a CISF staffer who raised the alarm and informed airport authorities and the Air Traffic Controller. The ATC raised a distress call and a decision was made to make an emergency landing at Mumbai airport.
The pilot of the aircraft, Keshari Singh said as quoted by The Indian Express, “I did a belly landing. I don’t know whether there is damage to the runway. We will have to check. I am thankful that everyone is safe.’’
Lauding the pilot, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, “A Jet Serve Ambulance with a patient onboard lost a wheel during takeoff from Nagpur. Showing immense presence of mind Capt Kesari Singh belly landed the aircraft on foam carpeting in Mumbai. All onboard are safe. Commendable effort by @DGCAIndia @CSMIA_Official & other agencies.”
A Jet Serve Ambulance with a patient onboard lost a wheel during takeoff from Nagpur. Showing immense presence of mind Capt Kesari Singh belly landed the aircraft on foam carpeting in Mumbai. All onboard are safe. Commendable effort by @DGCAIndia @CSMIA_Official & other agencies. pic.twitter.com/aelehUB7DS
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 6, 2021
The airport’s emergency response team including the fire and rescue responders, follow-me vehicles, security, the medical team was activated instantly and on standby to provide immediate assistance to ensure the safe evacuation of the passengers. All passengers were evacuated safely and flights operating in and out of the Mumbai airport remain on schedule.
As a precautionary measure, the airport also foamed the runway in order to avoid the aircraft catching fire.
Source: dnaindia.com