Mumbai: Around 140 passengers on an Indigo flight from Chandigarh had a narrow escape after landing at Mumbai airport on Saturday evening when the aircraft went off the runway, ran over a shoulder strip and went on towards an unpaved area. Airport officials said it was a serious incident and the fact that it wasn't promptly reported made it even more serious. Flights were delayed after the incident.
After veering off, the just-landed aircraft crawled back to the runway and proceeded towards the taxiway. An Indigo spokesman said a sudden gust of wind caused the incident.
Airport sources said the incident was not immediately reported to apron control or even Air Traffic Control (ATC) as required by protocol. It came to light almost eight minutes later during a routine inspection by an airport jeep.
At 6.42pm, a Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) jeep found that five runway lights on the southern edge were broken. The officials in the jeep also saw tyre marks on the runway shoulder (a strip that flanks the runway). The tyre marks went up till the edge of the unpaved area beyond the shoulder.
10/03/13 Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India
