Air India pilot averts collision with chopper on presidential duty

Just before the Air India pilot was about to take off for Delhi from the Mumbai runway he saw the chopper about , 200 metres in front of the plane.

The Mumbai airport’s air traffic control also asked the Air India pilot to apply the emergency brakes.

When the pilot slammed the brakes, a tyre burst. But all the passengers and crew on board the helicopter and plane emerged unscathed from the incident. The President flew back to Delhi in the evening, officials said.

While around 30 passengers cancelled their tickets and stormed the terminal manager’s office, others rescheduled their flights. Air India refunded all fliers.

“The plane skidded about 100 metres and got stuck in the middle of runway My family .

was scared so I rushed home without wasting time ,” said Hitesh Solanki, an urban management consultant on board the flight. “The seat belts saved us.” The drama did not affect flight movement. “The Air India flight was quickly taken off the runway so flight move , ment was not affected,” said a Mumbai International Airport Limited spokesperson.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan has asked the civil aviation and defence ministries to submit a detailed report on the near miss. The directorate general of civil aviation said it had ordered an inquiry .

(inputs from Aloke Tikku) On the tarmac: Air India flight with 150 people on board prepares to take off Near collision: A military helicopter comes in its path, Quick thinking: A tyre burst as pilot S.S. Kohli applied the brakes; but nobody was hurt THE NEAR miss at the Mumbai airport on Monday when Delhi-bound Air India flight IC-866, carrying 150 passengers, aborted take-off to avoid an Indian Air Force chopper that landed on the same runway triggered panic at domestic terminal 1-A.

As the shaken passengers counted their blessings, it was unclear what led to the mix-up.

“We will go through the cockpit conversation between the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and both pilots,” said a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official, who didn’t wish to be named.

“Death was a few metres away said Hitesh Solanki (30), ,” an urban management consultant with the Union gov ernment. The fliers, including children, were shaken up. Some were screaming inside the terminal, said an airport official.

“The plane was just about to take off when the pilot suddenly applied the emergency brakes… I saw a helicopter pass by as the pilot announced that he had suddenly sighted the helicopter and even the ATC did not know about the helicopter,” said Anshul Dhar, a Dubai resident.

“There were arguments between passengers and staff and many decided to cancel tickets,” said Subroto Roy, a Delhi resident who had boarded the plane from Goa.

While 30 passengers cancelled tickets and were refunded, others rescheduled their flights. Those who stayed back, most of them businessmen, had to wait for three hours to be accommodated on another flight that took off at 1 p.m.

“They made us sit in the aircraft for three-and-a-half hours. They could have changed the aircraft earlier and saved us the harassment,” said Dhar, who fought for a seat on IC-866 as his father had to undergo surgery. The plane landed in Delhi around 3 pm.

soubhik.mitra@hindustantimes.com

A HELICOPTER that was part of a fleet carrying President Pratibha Patil just missed colliding with an Air India plane with 150 people on board on Monday morning, airport and government officials said. Just before the Air India pilot was about to take off for Delhi from the Mumbai run- way he saw the chopper about , 200 metres in front of the plane. The Mumbai airport’s air traffic control also asked the Air India pilot to apply the emergency brakes. When the pilot slammed the brakes, a tyre burst. But all the passengers and crew on board the helicopter and plane emerged unscathed from the incident. The President flew back to Delhi in the evening, officials said. While around 30 passengers cancelled their tickets and stormed the terminal manag- er’s office, others rescheduled their flights. Air India refund- ed all fliers. “The plane skidded about 100 metres and got stuck in the middle of runway My family . was scared so I rushed home without wasting time ,” said Hitesh Solanki, an urban management consultant on board the flight. “The seat belts saved us.” The drama did not affect flight movement. “The Air India flight was quickly taken off the runway so flight move- , ment was not affected,” said a Mumbai International Airport Limited spokesperson. The Rashtrapati Bhavan has asked the civil aviation and defence ministries to submit a detailed report on the near miss. The directorate general of civil aviation said it had ordered an inquiry . (inputs from Aloke Tikku) On the tarmac: Air India flight with 150 people on board prepares to take off Near collision: A military helicopter comes in its path, Quick thinking: A tyre burst as pilot S.S. Kohli applied the brakes; but nobody was hurt THE NEAR miss at the Mumbai airport on Monday when Delhi-bound Air India flight IC-866, carrying 150 pas- sengers, aborted take-off to avoid an Indian Air Force chopper that landed on the same runway triggered panic at domestic terminal 1-A. As the shaken passengers counted their blessings, it was unclear what led to the mix-up. “We will go through the cock- pit conversation between the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and both pilots,” said a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official, who didn’t wish to be named. “Death was a few metres away said Hitesh Solanki (30), ,” an urban management con- sultant with the Union gov- ernment. The fliers, including children, were shaken up. Some were screaming inside the ter- minal, said an airport official. “The plane was just about to take off when the pilot sud- denly applied the emergency brakes… I saw a helicopter pass by as the pilot announced that he had suddenly sighted the helicopter and even the ATC did not know about the helicopter,” said Anshul Dhar, a Dubai resident. “There were arguments between passengers and staff and many decided to cancel tickets,” said Subroto Roy, a Delhi resident who had board- ed the plane from Goa. While 30 passengers can- celled tickets and were refund- ed, others rescheduled their flights. Those who stayed back, most of them businessmen, had to wait for three hours to be accommodated on another flight that took off at 1 p.m. “They made us sit in the air- craft for three-and-a-half hours. They could have changed the aircraft earlier and saved us the harassment,” said Dhar, who fought for a seat on IC-866 as his father had to undergo surgery. The plane landed in Delhi around 3 pm. soubhik.mitra@hindustantimes.com