Close shave on runway for CM & governor

Gwalior: A plane carrying Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and governor Rameshwar Thakur almost collided with two vehicles while landing, the close shave coming minutes before the President’s arrival.
Chief secretary Rakesh Sahni said the two vehicles, reportedly belonging to the air force, entered the Gwalior runway as the plane was touching down this morning. But Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik claimed the vehicles were trying to shoo away a dog.
The air traffic controller (ATC) was in the know of things, the air chief said, adding the VIP plane was asked to circle in the air for a while.
Chauhan and Thakur were flying in to receive President Pratibha Patil ahead of an air force programme at the airbase.
Official sources in the Madhya Pradesh government said in Bhopal that the state plane was landing only after getting the ATC’s clearance and added that it was asked to abort the process when it was less than 100 feet from the ground. Senior bureaucrats claimed the incident resulted from a lack of co-ordination between the air force and the ATC.
Patil landed at the base a few minutes later. Although her arrival was smooth, the incident just before her touch-down revived memories of the close shave in Mumbai in February this year.
A Delhi-bound Indian Airlines flight with 150 passengers had to abort take-off after spotting an army helicopter, one of three in the President’s convoy, land in front of it.
11/10/09 Rasheed Kidwai/The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Nov 2009, Safety Nov 2009