Air India's AI2744 plane slipped off the runway while landing at Mumbai airport on Monday morning. The flight had arrived from Kochi to Mumbai. Due to heavy rains in Mumbai, the runway was slippery, causing the plane to veer onto the grass approximately 16 to 17 meters away from the runway.
The incident occurred at 9:27 am. Pictures showed that the nacelle (cover) of the right engine of the plane was damaged. Despite the incident, the plane was safely brought to the parking area, where all passengers and crew members were disembarked. During this process, three tires of the plane burst.
Air India said that no passenger or crew member was harmed in the accident. However, the main runway of Mumbai airport has been damaged. The movement of flights on the runway has been stopped. Three signage boards and four lights along the runway were also broken. The second runway has been started to keep flight operations going on at Mumbai airport.
Continuous rain in Mumbai and surrounding area
The plane skidded during continuous rain in Mumbai and the surrounding areas. On Monday morning, the suburbs of Mumbai received 115 mm of rain while only 11 mm was recorded in Colaba, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD issued an orange alert for the city and its suburban districts, warning of moderate to heavy rain at some places over the next few hours.
DGCA team arrives
A team of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has reached the airport to investigate the incident. According to Air India, the investigation of the aircraft is going on. Both the pilots have been removed and the cause of this incident is being investigated.
Prakash Kumar Pandey