The Hindu : Front Page : Pilot in Cessna creates flutter

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
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Pilot in Cessna creates flutter

Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao

Indian Air Force, Warangal police guide woman trainee to safety

DRIFTING WINGS: The Cessna aircraft that lost its way is seen after landing at Mamnoor airstrip in Warangal on Tuesday.

WARANGAL: A trainee pilot, Madhurima Mukherjee, belonging to Flytech Aviation Academy in Hyderabad, had a providential escape as the Indian Air Force and the Warangal district police guided her Cessna aircraft to safety after it lost its way on Tuesday.

Ms. Mukherjee took off from Hyderabad at 11 a.m. and was scheduled to return from a western direction. Due to heavy winds, the aircraft drifted and began flying eastwards - towards Warangal.

Suddenly, the academy lost contact and there was panic all round. The staff manning the Air Traffic Control in Hyderabad managed to track down the movement of the aircraft. They contacted her and also alerted the police here. Superintendent of Police Soumya Mishra said the ATC sought the police help to ensure the safe landing of the aircraft. There was fuel that could last only for 30 minutes by then. The police immediately made all arrangements. As the trainee pilot grew nervous, she could not follow the instructions properly.

Three IAF Kiran jets also scrambled from Hyderabad to track the missing aircraft.

Contact established

Hyderabad Special Correspondent adds: According to a spokesperson of the IAF, the first aircraft constantly communicated with Ms Mukherjee but had to come back to the station due to fuel shortage. The second craft, however, established visual contact with the Cessna 100 km north of Warangal.

But the second Kiran also had to return to the air station due to low fuel status. The charge of the rescue mission was then taken over by the third Kiran aircraft, which escorted the woman pilot and shepherded down the aircraft for a safe landing at the Mamnoor airstrip.

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