An Air India Express flight from Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah faced a mid-air emergency on Friday due to a technical snag, but fortunately, it landed safely. The flight, carrying 140 passengers, encountered hydraulic failure shortly after takeoff at 5:43 PM and was forced to hover over the Trichy airspace before making an emergency landing.
#WATCH | Mumbai: On Air India Express Flight from Tiruchirapalli to Sharjah, which faced a technical problem, Jitender Bhargava, former Executive Director of Air India says, "The good news is that the plane has landed safely. People who work in this industry know that pilots are… pic.twitter.com/MDv4Ho4hQU
— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2024
Jitender Bhargava, former Executive Director of Air India, commented on the incident, reassuring that the situation was handled professionally. “The good news is that the plane has landed safely. People who work in this industry know that pilots are trained to deal with every situation on simulators. Some planes which are bigger have dumping facilities for fuel and it is a standing operating procedure in the industry that when the plane lands, its weight should be light… So the instructions were followed completely,” Bhargava explained.
The pilot alerted the airport authorities immediately after detecting the hydraulic failure. The system, which controls essential functions like landing gear, brakes, and flaps, malfunctioned, prompting the crew to take swift action. Preparations for a belly landing—when a plane lands without using its landing gear—were underway. Ambulances and rescue teams were placed on standby as a precautionary measure.
Fuel dumping, a standard procedure to reduce the plane’s weight during emergency landings, was considered but not executed, as the plane was flying over residential areas. Despite the tense situation, the flight was able to land without further issues.
Bhargava also emphasized the importance of investigating the incident thoroughly. “After investigation, it will be known whether it was a human error or not. DGCA and Air India Express should investigate it and if it is a human error then who is responsible for it, because safety is something that cannot be played with at all,” he added.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected to conduct a detailed investigation into the technical issue to determine whether it was a mechanical fault or human error.
Passengers expressed relief after the successful landing, with many praising the pilot’s expertise in managing the emergency.
