Flight takes a U-turn

Mumbai: It took twice the expected time for the 98 passengers on board a Hyderabad-bound Indian Airlines flight to reach their destination on Tuesday.
The flight, which took off from the airport Mumbai at 10 am, had to return to the city after being airborne for a while. According to officials, the flight returned after the pilot noticed a technical snag with the aircraft and decided to "take a u-turn''. The passengers were later accommodated on another aircraft, which took off an hour later.
"When the aircraft was barely 10 minutes in the air, the pilot contacted the traffic controller to ask if he could return,'' said an airport source. "He cited a technical problem as reason. Since he didn't demand priority or specify the nature of the problem, no emergency landing was made.''Airport sources said the flight, IC 617, had already been 30-minute late. The delay was lengthened due to the return.
01/04/09 Times of India

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Categories: Air India Domestic Apr 2009, NACIL Apr 2009, Safety Apr 2009