The Hindu : Front Page : Aircraft door yanks off at Mumbai airport

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Wednesday, May 06, 2009
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Aircraft door yanks off at Mumbai airport

Staff Reporter

— PHOTO: PTI

The Mangalore-bound Air India aircraft that was involved in the accident at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday.

Mumbai: A door of a Mangalore-bound Air India flight IC 179 (BOM-IXE) yanked off just after boarding at the Mumbai airport at 11.10 a.m. on Tuesday. All 172 passengers on board were safe.

The incident happened while the aircraft was stationary, with the aerobridge still connected to it. The AI pushback operator allegedly pushed the craft back for about 1.5 metres, due to which the door yanked off. As both the plane and the aerobridge were damaged, the passengers were shifted to another aircraft. No case has been registered so far.

The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation will conduct an inquiry into the incident. AI officials were not available for comment.

A spokesman of the Mumbai International Airport Limited, who did not wish to be named, told The Hindu that this was the first incident of an aircraft being pushed back while the door was still open. Normally, after all passengers boarded, and the headcount and other formalities were completed, the aircraft door would be shut and the aerobridge withdrawn. Next, the pilot would inform the ground engineer that the plane was ready for pushback. Then the ground engineer would in turn give instructions for the same.

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