PATNA: A major accident was averted after a Delhi-bound flight carrying 185 passengers on board made an emergency landing at the Patna airport on Sunday. All the passengers and crew members were safely evacuated, officials said.
The AAI Patna officials said the left engine of the SpiceJet flight had caught fire due to bird hit shortly after it took off from Patna at 12.03pm.
Pilot in command Captain Monica Khanna landed the aircraft safely with the 185 passengers and six crew members unharmed
"Only a few minutes into the air, the crew members noticed a problem as the engine started emitting smoke and flames and made loud noises. They immediately alerted the pilot. Taking prompt action, the pilot turned off the left engine and immediately contacted the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and sought to make an emergency landing," the officials said.
The flight, SG-723, turned back to Patna and landed at the airport at 12.22pm. Residents of nearby localities witnessed the fire in one of its engines. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed bird hit.
In a statement, the airline said on take-off, the cockpit crew suspected bird hit on engine 1 during rotation of SpiceJet B737-800 aircraft, which was operating from Patna to Delhi.
