On July 21, 1991, a Boeing 720 operated by Continental Aviation Private Limited (CAPL) made an emergency landing at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport after reportedly developing engine trouble.
Ordinarily, such incidents are followed by repairs and departure within days. But this aircraft never left.
Instead, it remained parked near the runway, slowly gathering dust as weeks turned into years and then decades.
The Boeing 720, introduced in 1960 as a lighter, shorter-fuselage derivative of the successful 707, was designed for medium-range routes of 150 to 3,200 nautical miles with seating for up to 156 passengers.
Featuring aerodynamic wing improvements like full-span leading-edge flaps and greater sweep for better short-field performance, it initially used Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojets before the 720B variant adopted quieter JT3D turbofans, enabling higher cruising speeds around 530 knots and a production run of 154 aircraft until 1967.
Primarily operated by U.S. carriers like United and Eastern Airlines, it filled a niche until the trijet 727 superseded it, with the last commercial service ending around 2010. Led Zeppelin, an English rock band, also had a famous customised Boeing 720 called 'The Starship.'
24/04/2026 Dristi Sharma/NDTV
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
0 Post a Comment:
Post a Comment