Mumbai : The pilot lowered the plane to 100 ft above runway twice after he suspected damaged tyre but ATC was unable to help.

The passengers of an Air India Express flight from Lucknow to Dubai recently spent a heartstopping 10 minutes on board after the plane, which was diverted to Mumbai because of a damaged tyre, made an emergency landing on its third attempt.

Air India Express flight IX 193, which was supposed to fly to Dubai via Delhi, took off at 2.05 pm on March 8 from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at Amausi, Lucknow. During take-off, some rubber particles were spotted on the runway, due to which the plane was forced to change its path to Mumbai.

In Mumbai, the flight came within just 100 feet of the runway on two occasions, while the pilot asked the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to check whether the damaged tyre was in a condition to land. ATC officials could see the tyre only the second time.

After climbing and descending five times, the plane finally managed to make an emergency landing on the third attempt, leaving the passengers scared out of their wits.

Mumbai ATC sources told Mirror, “Air India Express flight 193, which was scheduled to fly over Delhi for its destination Dubai, was diverted to Mumbai at 4.30 pm on March 8. The Boeing 737 type aircraft with full passenger, cargo and fuel load couldn’t land on its first attempt due to bad tyre condition.”

Two attempts

The sources confirmed that technicians and ground staff were rushed to the runway and the aircraft was brought as close as 100 feet twice.

“During the first attempt, the team could not establish the tyre condition and the pilot was asked to climb again. During the second attempt, ground staff gave their nod for landing. All emergency services were installed to conduct an emergency landing. The aircraft landed safely in the third attempt,” they said.

When contacted, A K Sharma, regional executive director, Airports Authority of India (AAI), didn’t elaborate, but confirmed the emergency landing of flight 193.

“I was informed that the flight was diverted to Mumbai due to tyre bad condition. It made an emergency landing at Mumbai airport,” he told Mirror. Lalit Gupta, deputy director, Flight Safety at Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said, “We have been informed and an inquiry is underway.”

Aviation Expert Vipul Saxena said he was surprised how a pilot could attempt such a feat, endangering his own and his passengers’ lives. “How was the pilot flying at 100 feet despite knowing very well that the limitation of auto pilot is an altitude of 400ft? Pulling up from such a low altitude can be catastrophic like the Mangalore crash. I hope the DGCA will do a thorough investigation and take punitive action,” he said.