Ranchi: Passengers and crew on an IndiGo flight from Patna had a narrow escape after the aircraft suffered a bird hit, barely minutes before landing at the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi on Monday afternoon.
While all passengers were brought out of the aircraft safely and attended to, the aircraft had to be grounded as it had suffered damage to its nose. Its onward journey to Kolkata had to be called-off.
There were nearly 120 passengers on board IndiGo flight 6E 6152 when the incident occurred, an official said. The aircraft was an Airbus 320. The accident occurred when the plane was barely 22 km from Ranchi and making its descent.
“The bird hit took place at a height of 4,000 feet. The bird involved was a vulture. These are scavengers that feed on carcases of animals at dumping grounds close to the airports. We have taken up the issue of shifting dumping grounds with civic bodies and state governments, but little action has been taken,” a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said.
“Fortunately, the damage was not severe and the pilots managed to land the aircraft safely. Though there was a jolt, no passenger or crew suffered any injury. In fact, most passengers were not even aware of what happened till all of them – including those with tickets to Kolkata – were asked to deboard and they noticed the activity all around,” the official added.
According to Birsa Munda Airport director R R Maurya, the incident occurred at 1.14 pm when the aircraft was 12-14 nautical miles away from the airport and at an elevation between 3,000 and 4,000 feet. The pilots declared an emergency and were granted a priority to land at Ranchi, he said. Inspection revealed a fracture on the aircraft’s nose.
