A Delhi-bound SpiceJet airline flight had to make an emergency landing soon after it took off from Patna Airport on Sunday afternoon when one of its engines caught fire mid-air. All 185 passengers and crew members onboard Boeing 737 had a miraculous escape.
According to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officials, “The flight returned back after a bird hit and due to one engine shut in the air, all on-board passengers are safe.” DGCA officials told the reporters that the SpiceJet airline plane (VT-SYZ) was involved in air turnback as the cabin crew informed PIC about sparks coming out of one of the engines.
During the rotation, the cockpit crew suspected a bird hit on the engine. However, the crew did not observe any abnormality and the flight resumed further climb. Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh told media persons, “The Delhi-bound flight had returned to Patna airport after locals noticed a fire in the aircraft and informed district and airport officials. All 185 passengers were safely deboarded. The reason is a technical glitch, engineering team analysing further.”
“Another flight is being arranged by SpiceJet airlines. This incident is a matter of investigation,” Patna Airport Director informed the reporters here. Gurcharan Arora, airline’s chief of flight operations, told the media persons that their pilots handled the situation well. The DGCA is set to probe the matter.