Patna Airport : IndiGo Flight With 174 Passengers Overshoots Runway, Lands Safe on Second Try
A major mishap was avoided at the Patna airport when an Indigo flight from Delhi was landing on the Jay Prakash Narayan Airport. The flight went ahead of the touchdown zone and had to perform a go-around. So, the pilot quickly flew back, took a around and had a safe landing in the second attempt. A total of 174 passengers were onboard and all of them are safe and sound fortunately.
We have covered everything about the Patna airport incident in this article including the overview of the risky situation, explanation of runway overshoot, how the pilot saved the day with 174 passengers onboard, previous incidents, and what the authorities are planning to adress the safety concerns. You can use the following Table of Contents to navigate as per your preference:
Table of Contents
IndiGo Flight Overshoot at Patna Airport
On the night of July 15, IndiGo flight 6E 2482 from Delhi was scheduled to land at Patna airport around 9 PM. But during the attempt to land, the aircraft crossed the touchdown zone on the runway. The plane went far away from the safe stop and the pilot realised that the remaining length was not suitable for landing. This, the plane was lifted again and circled around. After a few minutes, the flight finally landed safely. This was a major risk of 174 lives, but the cabin crew saved them.
Why Patna Airport Is Considered the Riskiest in India?
The runway of the Patna’s Jay Prakash Narayan Airport has always been a point of concern for people and authorities. It has the shortest commercial runway length in India which is just 2,070 meters in total.
Even slight delay in landing can risk the flight and passengers. The runway is not even eligible to host landings for bigger aircrafts. But the expansion has not been possible because of the urban structures around the airport. The main challenge comes during land acquisition – the Patna Zoo and the Clock Tower are the pain points in this case.
What is ‘Runway Overshoot’ ?
A runway overshoot is a risky situation where an aircraft crosses the end of the runway because it fails to stop in time. Such condition can arise due to late touchdown, slippery surface, excessive landing speed, or inefficient braking system. And with the shorter length is the runway the airport becomes even more riskier as it provides no room for recovering from the mistake if things don’t go perfectly.
Second Incident in a Week – Red Flag!
Just a week ago, another Indigo flight at Patna airport got into a risky situation when a bird struck into its engine. This caused the engine beams to vibrate and the pilots had to return immediately. All 175 passengers were safely brought back on ground within minutes. And now this runway overshoot just adds fuel to the fire. The safety of the airport is under scrutiny. So, plans have been made to extend the runway to over 12,000 feet.
Conclusion
This latest incident at Patna airport has again highlighted the need to extend the length of the Patna airport runway at the earliest. Thanks to the pilot who saved the day with their quick response. Apart from the lack of infrastructure, the problems of birds hitting the aircraft is also troublesome. So, the authorities have planned things to prevent further accidents as well. You can get the detailed land report that was drafted by the district administration here.
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