Air scare for Air India flight: Delhi-bound plane suffers fuel leak after bird-hit

About 130 people flying in a Delhi-bound Air India flight had a close shave on Monday when the  national carrier’s flight from Bhopal suffered a bird-hit and had to be diverted to Jaipur airport. The plane, with BJP Rajya Sabha MP Prabhat Jha, 121 other passengers and eight crew members on board, was given ‘priority’ landing at Jaipur airport, where it reached with leaking fuel and a broken fan. Sources at Jaipur airport told  DNA that the aircraft was quite damaged when it reached there. It’s fuel had leaked and at least seven blades of the aircraft’s fan were broken, they added. 

Flight AI-436 from Bhopal to Delhi took off at 7.45 am and was to arrive in Delhi at 9.15 am. Soon after take-off, the flight experienced the bird-hit. Protocol demands that the aircraft should have contacted the nearest Air Traffic Control (ATC) centre and sought priority landing, but here, while risking the lives of 130 people, the pilot opted to go all the way to its destination at the IGI airport in Delhi, where it was denied priority landing. 

In this case, the flight should have landed at Bhopal airport or Jaipur airport, which is closer to Bhopal as compared to Delhi, sources said. The reason for the Delhi airport denying priority landing to the flight could not be ascertained, but sources said that it could be because of some miscommunication between the Delhi ATC staff and the pilot. 

Experts in the aviation industry said that the pilot should have, in fact, landed at Bhopal airport itself. They said that bird-hit incidents take place mostly soon after take-off or landing, as birds don’t fly in very high altitudes. The flight managed to land safely at Jaipur airport around 9.40 am. Air India spokesperson Dhananjay Sharma said that by afternoon, all the passengers were sent to Delhi via coaches or flights, depending on their urgency. 
All the 122 passengers and eight crew members de-boarded the flight safely. 

Sources at Jaipur airport gave DNA details of the damage caused to the aircraft. They said that the people on board this flight were really lucky because the incident could have caused a major disaster. “After the flight landed, it was noticed that fuel was leaking from the engine. The aircraft had two fans with 23 blades each. It was found that at least seven blades were broken. This could have resulted in a major accident had there been any delay in this aircraft landing,” said a source, who did not wish to be identified. Sources added that the pilot, incidentally, requested the ATC for priority landing, but did not inform about the fuel leakage. 

A senior ATC official, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Had the pilot informed us about the fuel leakage, the landing would have been made on an ‘emergency’ basis.” He added that seven broken blades clearly indicate that the bird must have gone deep inside the aircraft, and the pilot should have raised an early alarm. However, the AI spokesperson said that the national carrier was investigating the matter, but AI was not aware of the quantum of damage caused to the aircraft.