Miscellaneous - This Day That Age   

dated February 27, 1957: Nehru's plane forcelands

Prime Minister Nehru's plane made an emergency landing at a deserted airstrip near Raichur on February 26 after its port engine caught fire in mid-air. The pilot made a dextrous landing on one engine. The Prime Minister, who had left Mangalore at 8 a.m. after completing his two-day election tour of Kerala, and other members of the party were all safe. Mr. Nehru got off the plane smiling and congratulated the captain of the plane. A correspondent travelling with the Prime Minister in the aircraft reported from Raichur, "At 9.30 a.m., the IAF Ilyushin `Meghdoot' was flying over Raichur when a member of the Prime Minister's party saw smoke coming out of the port engine. He informed the captain of the plane, who feathered the engine. The fire extinguisher was immediately used and the fire put out. The plane tilted to one side but did not lose height." The Prime Minister was calm when he was informed that the portside engine had caught fire and had been feathered. He was reading the text of one of Mr. V.K. Krishna Menon's speeches on Kashmir in the Security Council. A few minutes later he was invited to have a look at the damaged engine. He got up and went to the cabin to have a look at the propellers of the dead engine from which smoke was still emerging. Mr. Nehru smiled and told the excited members of the crew and his own party: "What are you all excited about? Please sit down in your seats."

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