Alliance Air flight makes emergency landing

The sources said the aircraft was hovering around Chennai airspace around 3.50 am waiting for clearance to land when the pilot, suspecting that the nose wheeel was inoperative, sought permission from Air Traffic Control for a `low past’ to enable them observe the wheel.

The tower responded to his request and told him he could land under full scale emergency conditions, the sources said. The aircraft then safely landed at the `07′ end (suburban Pallavaram end), at about 0415 am and cleared the runway, but got `bogged down’, Airport Director Sudhir Kumar said. The pilot radioed for a tow vehicle and the aircraft was towed to a parking bay, he said.

Since the aircraft had been grounded, alternate arrangements were being made to fly the passengers on their onward journey to Singapore.