In a shocking incident, a SpiceJet aircraft made an emergency landing at the Bihta Airforce Station in Patna after the flight’s left wing caught fire. All 185 passengers are reportedly safe. Airport sources said that the flight was a Boeing 727.
“Flames were seen on the left wing of the aircraft. It landed immediately. Two blades were bent. People of Phulwari Sharif saw the flames and alerted the airport authorities,” said the Patna District Magistrate, Chandrashekhar Singh.
Sources at the aviation regulator DGCA have told NDTV that the pilots suspected there was a bird hit during the take-off. However, the aircraft continued to climb out since they did not observe any abnormality.
“The bird hit was directly into the engine. Three fan blades were damaged. It resulted in smoke and flames. But there was no indication in the cockpit,” Capt Gurcharan Arora, chief of flight operations at SpiceJet, told NDTV.
“Cockpit crew of Patna-Delhi SpiceJet flight after take-off during rotation suspected bird hit on engine no. 1. As a precautionary measure, the flight captain shut down the affected engine and returned to Patna. Post-flight inspection shows bird hit with three fan blades damaged,” said a SpiceJet spokesperson.
Patna-Delhi flight with its left wing on fire right before it safely landed back at Patna a short while ago. Bird hit said to have killed the engine. Updates on @IndiaToday. pic.twitter.com/3dHkEIpMHo
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) June 19, 2022
