Rourkela: A passenger, who survived a horrific crash-landing of an IndiaOne Air charter flight near Rourkela, has hailed the pilots as heroes for their quick thinking and skill, which prevented a far worse catastrophe.
Sunil Agrawal, who was injured in the January 10 incident and returned to Odisha on Wednesday after treatment in Mumbai, shared his harrowing account of the ordeal.
The nine-seater Cessna 208 Grand Caravan aircraft, operating a scheduled flight from Bhubaneswar to Rourkela, encountered a sudden technical failure shortly after takeoff. With only six people – four passengers and two pilots- on board, the plane was forced to make an emergency belly landing in an open field near Jalda village in Sundargarh district, about 10 km from Rourkela airport.
Agrawal, traveling with his wife Sabita Agrawal, credited captains Naveen Kadanga and Tarun Srivastava with an extraordinary presence of mind. “The pilots first steered the aircraft away from nearby hills. When the engine and fan stopped functioning, they skilfully managed to prevent the plane from plunging into the Brahmani river. Finally, during the forced landing, they avoided a potentially fatal collision with an electric transformer in the field,” he told reporters.
The landing, while controlled, still resulted in in
juries to all on board, including severe ones for some passengers and pilots.
Agarwal further stated that local villagers rushed to their help and police, administration officials, fire brigade, medical teams, and ambulances also arrived at the spot within five minutes. “Because of their swift response, we were provided immediate first aid and could be saved,” he noted.
The injured were initially treated in Rourkela before some, including Agrawal and his wife, were airlifted to a hospital in Mumbai for advanced surgery and recovery.
Agrawal described the experience as a “spine-chilling moment of near-certain death” that turned into a miracle thanks to the pilots’ courage and professionalism. “Although the pilots said nothing about any issue, we could tell something was wrong from their behaviour, so we quickly fastened our seat belts tightly,” he said.
Expressing their deep appreciation, the Marwari community will felicitate the two pilots for their heroic actions that saved lives, he added.
Tragically, one of the passengers, Susanta Kumar Biswal, who sustained critical injuries, died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Rourkela on January 17, while preparations were underway to airlift him to Mumbai. He suffered complications including CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease), CVD (Cardiovascular Disease) and DM (Diabetes Mellitus). IndiaOne Air has pledged support for the deceased passenger’s family, including a job for his son and financial assistance.
Investigations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) are ongoing, with reports indicating the plane may have scraped a high-tension wire during the landing.