Averting an untoward incident, Bengaluru-bound GoAir flight with about 200 passengers on board avoided a disastrous fate on the evening of February 8. It was the group of locals who spotted the aircraft’s engine on fire and immediately informed the Police Control Room which conveyed the emergency situation to Delhi air traffic control.
As per the reports, all the passengers travelling in the plane were safe. It was around 7.40 pm when CISF Control room at Terminal 1D got a call from PCR that two locals have seen fire on the aircraft’s engine. After the emergency like situation reached the flight captain, he asked for the help and was allowed to land the plane at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Senior official told leading daily, DNA “The two witnesses had informed the Delhi Police about the incident and accordingly the message was conveyed to Airport Operations Control Centre and to the Air Traffic Control. After some efforts, the flight was identified as GoAir flight – G8 557 – which had departed for Bangalore at 7.28 from the IGI Airport,”.
While talking to indianexpress.com, one of the passengers in the filght, Saurabh Tandon, told “I was one of the passengers on the Delhi-Bangalore GoAir flight yesterday scheduled for 6:40 pm departure. At least five to seven minutes after take off I heard people screaming ‘fire’. The plane was around 5000 to 6000 feet in the air and could hear people panicking and screaming. The pilot managed to land the flight after 20 to 30 minutes on the remaining one functional engine. I would commend the efforts of the pilot who was no less than a hero in that moment”
He added, “After the plane was successfully landed, we had to wait for 20 minutes after which we got off the plane. Without any debriefing from GoAir, we were immediately transferred by a bus to another aircraft. Some passengers were still in shock and were reluctant to board the next flight.
