A-I plane loses parts on take-off

According to sources, it was an Air France commander who alerted ground staff at the airport about the parts lying on the runway. Jitendra Bhargava, Air-India spokesperson, said, ‘‘The cowling of the aircraft engine fell off during take-off. The cowling is a case which covers the engine. We don’t know who informed the engineers, but they noticed the problem 25 minutes after the plane took off. We immediately recalled the aircraft.’’

Aviation experts say the incident is shocking. The cowling covers the entire surface area of the engine which in itself spans six feet in diameter, a senior pilot and former Airport Authority of India official told The Indian Express. ‘‘It can’t fall off easily. It’s possible that a certain portion of the cowling may have come off. If a small portion falls off, it may not affect flight safety, but if it is a bigger chunk, it could reduce resistance to wind and cause engine problems.’’ The official, who currently works with an aviation agency, said considering the sheer size of the engine, it was unlikely that the entire cowling could have come off. On the other hand, he said, the aircraft may have been asked to return to Mumbai because spares would not have been available easily in Jeddah.

The Air-India spokesperson denied reports that the fuel tank had developed cracks and suffered heavy damage. ‘‘There was no problem involving the safety of the aircraft. The pilot did not report any flight problems, and landed back safely. We are looking into the matter and hope that the aircraft would be back in service by tomorrow afternoon,’’ he said. Reports had said the plane landed at Mumbai airport at 2.58 am on Wednesday, a full four hours after take-off. Bhargava insisted it had landed ‘‘much earlier’’ but refused to say when.

Bhargava said that a “standard” probe into the incident has been initated by Air-India as well as Civil Aviation D-G.