Lucknow: A major disaster was averted after an engine of an IndiGo flight to Delhi failed during take-off from the Lucknow airport on Saturday morning.
The pilots applied emergency brakes before the aircraft reached the end of the runway, managing to bring it to a stop. The plane then returned to the gate and deboarded the 151 passengers, including Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, wife of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.
According to reports, flight 6E2111 experienced a thrust issue at 10.55 am on Saturday, barely minutes before take-off. This means that there wasn’t sufficient power for the aircraft to take-off safely. It has been grounded and is undergoing thorough checks by technical experts.
“There was some panic among the passengers as the aircraft suddenly came to a halt even after starting its take-off run. However, everybody was safe. The passengers were accommodated on another aircraft and reached Delhi,” an official said.
The incident brought back memories of the devastating Air India crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 that killed 260 people. The aircraft also suffered thrust issues immediately after take-off and could not climb to a safe altitude. A preliminary probe revealed that fuel supply to both engines were cut off, leading to the disaster. The final report is awaited.
Recently, an Air India flight to Indore had to return for an emergency landing at Delhi after a fire alert in its right engine. The pilots shut down the engine and landed safely.