An Air India plane, Boeing 737, flew for three hours despite having a huge damage on its body after hitting a wall during take-off from Trichy in Tamil Nadu. The pilots, clearly unaware of the damage to the aircraft, reported that “all systems were functioning normally”, but the flight was diverted to Mumbai anyway as a precaution.
It was carrying 136 passengers and crew members. It was only when the plane landed in Mumbai that it was found that the main body of an aircraft was practically “destroyed”. The pilots have been grounded in an investigation.
The plane rushed down the Trichy airport runway at a speed of 250-290 km per hour and nicked the boundary wall before it was up in the air. The wheels of the aircraft hit a wall of the Trichy airport.
Air India Express in its statement said the Air Traffic Control contacted the pilots that the aircraft “might have come in contact” with the airport perimeter wall. “The pilot in command reported that the aircraft systems were operating normally.”
Later it was decided that the plane, which had “rose to high altitude” on its way to Dubai, would be diverted to Mumbai as a precaution. The plane was landed in Mumbai and taxied to the parking stand. All 130 passengers and six crew members were safe.
The different flight was arranged to take the passengers from Mumbai to Dubai.
[source_without_link]SIASAT NEWS[/source_without_link]