look news india
A major plane accident was averted on Friday at Bilasa Devi Kevat Airport (Chakarbhatha) located in Bilaspur, the judicial authority of Chhattisgarh. The 72-seater ATR-72 aircraft of Alliance Air coming to Bilaspur via Delhi and Jabalpur suddenly burst its rear tire while landing on the runway. There were more than 50 passengers including crew members on board the plane at that time. Due to the bursting of the wheel immediately after landing, a strong friction and shock was felt on the runway, which created panic among the passengers sitting inside the plane. However, thanks to the quick thinking and precise control technique of the chief pilot, the aircraft did not go beyond the runway limits and a fatal accident was avoided.
According to airport sources and eyewitnesses, Alliance Air flight 9I-691 was scheduled to land at Bilaspur airstrip on time. The weather was normal and the approach of the aircraft was also going as per the prescribed standards. As soon as the rear wheels of the aircraft touched the concrete track of the Chakarbhatha runway, suddenly a loud bang was heard and the right side main landing gear tire burst. The plane started to become unbalanced for a few seconds as the tires deflated, but the experienced pilot in the cockpit used emergency thrust and brake controls without panicking and stopped the plane safely in the middle of the runway.
Passengers on board the plane said that at the time of touchdown, instead of the normal shock, a strong vibration was felt and there was a commotion inside the cabin. Many passengers felt that the plane would slide off the runway and sink into the mud. Due to their seat belts being worn, none of the passengers were seriously injured. As soon as the plane came to a complete stop, the airport authority, CISF security forces and the local fire fighting team immediately came into alert mode. As per emergency protocol, fire brigade and ambulance vehicles were rushed to the runway. After this, with the help of the ground staff, all the passengers were taken out safely one by one through the stairs and shifted to the terminal building. There were no reports of injuries to any passengers or cabin crew.
After this sudden incident, the runway at Bilaspur Airport was completely blocked for a few hours as a precautionary measure. Due to tire burst, pieces of rubber and debris were scattered on the runway, which was thoroughly cleaned by the technical team. Apart from this, the damaged aircraft was standing on the runway itself, which was taken to the safe apron area with the help of a special tow truck. Due to this technical glitch, the schedule of connecting flights from Bilaspur to Prayagraj and Delhi had to be rescheduled, due to which other passengers also had to wait at the terminal. Airport management took over the arrangement of refreshments and alternative travel arrangements for the affected passengers.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have taken cognizance of this serious technical failure. A team of DGCA safety auditors has started a detailed investigation of the aircraft’s landing gear, tire life cycle, pressure rating and friction level of the runway surface. According to initial speculations, the cause of tire burst could be excessive friction, technical failure of rubber or presence of any foreign object (FOD – Foreign Object Debris) on the runway. Data from the aircraft’s digital flight data recorder (DFDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) are also being analyzed to accurately assess landing speed and angle.
Bilasa Devi Kevat Airport at Bilaspur is serving as an important air hub for the northern and central part of Chhattisgarh under the regional connectivity scheme ‘UDAN’. Alliance Air is providing its services here regularly. After this incident, local public representatives and daily travelers have raised strong questions on the regular maintenance of the planes and the fitness of the fleet. Civil aviation experts believe that it is imperative that the landing gear assemblies in small regional aircraft are maintained at the highest standards so that passenger safety is not compromised.