IAF Plane Hovers Hyderabad Skies for 40 Min; NTR, Ram Charan Had to Wait at Begumpet Airport Hyderabad:After reporting of a technical fault in landing gear by an Indian Air Force training aircraft and forty minutes of suspense ensued, the plane - carrying 12 on board - safely landed in the Begumpet airport without any casualty.
The technical fault forced the plane to circle the skies of Hyderabad for about forty minutes. The pilots of the aircraft alerted the air traffic control (ATC) and the airforce base station about their situation.
Sources said two pilots who were on board are trying to make an emergency landing and that the plane has been circling in the air since afternoon.
The Air Force base station guided the crew on keeping the plane in air and to fix the technical glitch mid-air.
It was sheer professionalism and skill of the force personnel. The IAF plane that encountered the technical fault leading to a 40-minute delay in overall air operations over Hyderabad skies.
A malfunction in the opening mechanism of the front hydraulic wheels was noticed by the aircraft's pilot while he was flying 12 individuals onboard with him on the aircraft.
"The situation was swiftly identified by the vigilant pilot, who promptly alerted the rest of the crew. With safety as their top priority, the pilot manoeuvred the aircraft in the sky for 40 minutes while efforts were made to rectify the technical issue," an IAF source said.
"The coordinated efforts of the crew, under the guidance of the pilot, ensured that the situation remained under control throughout the delay. After successful troubleshooting, the technical problem was resolved, allowing the aircraft to make a safe landing," the source added.
Begumpet Airport was earlier notified about the emergency situation and was prepared to tackle a hard landing. Sources suggested that the IAF training aircraft could have had a hydraulic malfunction, forcing it to stay in the air. "The landing will be attempted only after the fuel in the wings is exhausted," the sources had said earlier.
The clearance for takeoff and landings were frozen at the Hyderabad Airport for sometime. The planes that taxied to the runway were retained on the ground until the IAF plane landed safely.
The officials have come to an estimate that there is a risk of explosion if the plane is brought down instantly. They advised the pilots to land safely on the airport runway after circling the air until the fuel was depleted to some extent. After hovering for a considerable time, the plane landed safely on the runway. As a result, the crew and those on the plane had a miraculous escape.
Consequently, several private flights had delayed landings at the Begumpet airport. Celebrities also faced inconvenience by this. Actors Jr. NTR and Ram Charan, who came to Begumpet airport to go to other places, waited at the airport for two hours.
