AI flight stuck as door gets wrong push

They have been taken off the roster pending an inquiry into the matter and the airline’s pushback operator has been placed under suspension.

The door of the Mangalore-bound flight came off as the instruction for pushback — towing an aircraft in reverse,from the parking bay or an airport gate,to the runway by a tug or a specially-designed tractor — was given when the door was still attached to the aerobridge.

This is the first such incident at Mumbai airport,and probably anywhere else.

It was caused as premature pushback instructions were given by the ground handling staff,airport officials said. Had any passengers been on the bridge or the transit area at the time of the incident,they could have been hurt.

An Air India spokesperson said. “The aircraft suffered damage but all 172 passengers are safe.”

The 172 passengers of the flight,which was supposed to depart at 10:30 am,were shifted to another aircraft which took off at 12:40 pm.

“Eventually pushback instructions to the new aircraft were given at 12:20 pm and it was airborne at about 12:40 pm,” added the spokesperson. According to an airport official,an enquiry into the incident will take place on Wednesday by a joint committee of members of the preliminary investigation board (PIB) of the airline and a four-member team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

“It’s a unique incident at Mumbai airport,” said a spokesperson from the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL). According to the spokesperson,the aerobridge was also damaged and would be out of service for at least a week. An assessment of the loss caused due to the damage to the aircraft and the aerobridge was yet to be assessed.

Captain R C Ottal,spokesperson for Indian Commercial Pilot’s Association (Air India Pilot Union),said,“This incident will be investigated and action will be taken on the pilots accordingly. We have advised all our pilots to be very careful on the airsides.”