Close call for Jet plane at Mumbai

“The tower controller had asked the jeep to hold short of runway 27. But the vehicle crossed the runway when the Jet Airways flight was on the final approach path, about two nautical miles away. This means the aircraft would have taken a minute to touch down,” a source said.

Sources also said this is extremely dangerous and could have been disastrous since a ‘live runway’ has to be absolutely clear when there is any aircraft movement, and when Air Traffic Control has cleared the aircraft to land or take off.

“The aircraft was on tower frequency, and the vehicle was on ground frequency. Only an investigation will reveal whether there was miscommunication or the message was not interpreted correctly,” the source added.

A spokesperson for MIAL said: “We don’t have the specific details and in our records, the incident has not been logged yet. We are investigating the matter and will submit our report to the DGCA in a couple of days.”

“The matter has to be viewed very seriously and the sanctity of the runway has to be maintained at all times,” said P Shaw, Director, Air Safety (western region), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “I have asked that the report be submitted on a priority basis.”

Shaw’s office will be conducting a separate inquiry into the incident on receiving the preliminary findings from airport authorities. “This is an absolute violation and has to be viewed seriously in the interest of air safety,” Shaw added.