ATC: Wall of air stopped plane at 24,000 feet

New Delhi: The Pilates PC-12 aircraft that crashed in Faridabad on Wednesday had come up against such strong winds that it was unable to move, observations at the IGI Airport's air traffic controller reveal. An official described the conditions as "hitting a wall" in the air.
The blip on the ATC radar indicated the 9-seater air ambulance approaching Delhi from Patna suddenly stopped moving around 10.35pm on Wednesday. As the air traffic control scrambled to contact the pilot of the aircraft, the dust storm outside IGI airport reached a speed of 60kmph.
"The pilot reported bad weather and since the blip was not moving, we would only conjecture that the wind was so strong that the aircraft was unable to fly," said highly placed sources.
The aircraft that crashed into a densely populated locality in Faridabad, killing 10 people including all seven on board, had ATC officials worried for as long as 10 minutes before the crash. "The aircraft was at 24,000ft when it stopped moving. Then ATC asked it to descend to 11,000ft," sources said.
27/05/11 Times of India

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Categories: Airports May 2011, Safety May 2011