Video: Air India Flight from Trichy to Sharjah Faces Mid-Air Hydraulic Failure, Circles for Two Hours Before Landing Safely
The flight circled over Trichy for two hours to dump fuel before landing safely
On Friday, an Air India flight experienced a hydraulic failure following takeoff from Trichy to Sharjah and thus circled above the city for nearly two hours before landing safely. The airline was Air India Express Flight AXB-613, which was flying on a Boeing 737 aircraft with 141 passengers on board. To rectify this, emergency teams and authorities at the Trichy Airport acted really fast to ensure there was no risk to the passengers.
Hydraulic Failure in Mid-Air
The Air India aircraft took off from Trichy Airport at 5.45 pm for Sharjah. The landing gear of the aircraft experienced problems after a short time after take off, forcing the aircraft to communicate with the ATC and contact emergency services. As a precautionary measure, the aircraft circled over Trichy for nearly two hours and offloaded some aviation fuel to reduce its weight for safe landing.
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Time of Takeoff: 5.45 pm
Flight Aircraft: Boeing 737
Total Passengers: 141
The airport prepared over a dozen ambulances and fire tenders as precautions in case of a belly landing. Foam was sprayed all over the runway in anticipation of a fire during landing.
Safe Landing After Emergency Maneuvers
After 24 small and three large circles above the city, Iqrom Rifadly Fahmi Zainal, the pilot, and Co-pilot Maitryee Shrikrishna Shitole could bring in the aircraft for a normal touchdown at 8:15 pm. Initially, it had been instructed to do a belly landing, but the landing gear of the aircraft opened, and so it landed normally. The whole thing was closely watched by DGCA until the aircraft finally touched safely on the ground.
Response from the Government
Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu praised the crew and ground teams for responding promptly after the landing. He confirmed that Air India Express had been instructed to arrange onward travel for affected passengers. He added, “Safety remains our highest priority in every operation.”.
MK Stalin, Chief Minister for Tamil Nadu, expressed relief at the same time as he commended the emergency teams. He coordinated efforts to ensure that every possible safety measure had been undertaken and that further assistance was guaranteed for the passengers following the incident.
Civil Aviation Ministry Opens Investigation
The Civil Aviation Ministry has launched an inquiry to determine the cause of hydraulic failure in the Air India flight from Trichy to Sharjah. DGCA is also conducting an inquiry into the incident.
An Air India Express spokesperson has said that no emergency had been declared during the flight and that the crew’s actions were precautionary measures, to go about minimizing the risk. “The aircraft circled in the designated area to reduce fuel and weight for landing. The cause of the snag will be duly investigated, ” said the spokesperson.
Important Points
- The Air India Express flight from Trichy to Sharjah experienced hydraulic failure due to which the flight faced a huge delay in its journey.
- The flight circled for two hours over Trichy after which it successfully landed. The emergency services were already alerted
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA have started an investigation regarding the hydraulic failure.
- Arrangements for ferrying of passengers to Sharjah are being done. Air India Express would take care that the safety concerns are addressed and some careful lessons are inducted to be learnt from the incident.
The nonfallible commitment by the crew along with sound coordination measures of an emergency, witnessed very efficiently by the crew at all stages, underlines the promise of Air India Express to ensure further safety of passengers.
