A discarded Airbus 320 of Air India which was being lifted with the help of a crane, came down crashing into a compound wall near Begumpet Airport on Sunday morning.
The aircraft which was abandoned in 2007, was on its way to the Central Training Establishment (CTE) of Air India located in Ferozguda, few kilometres from the airport to help train the cabin crew. However no one was injured in the accident.
The 70 ton aircraft was tagged to a 200 ton heavy crane belonging to Raghav Tranport Company, so as to carry it at a certain height to avoid power lines and electric poles. However, the crane was unable to do so and crashed, landing the aircraft onto a wall belonging to a private club close to the airport.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Zone) N Prakash Reddy, who rushed to the spot said that traffic on the service road leading to CTE was diverted as the aircraft was to cover the 4-kilometre distance. He said the aircraft is partially damaged and a major accident was averted as the road next to the Begumpet Airport was almost empty at the time of the mishap.
Meanwhile, the airport authorities, who apparently bungled the simple operation, initially said that the aircraft can be lifted safely even after the accident in four to five hours. Later they said the aircraft needs to be segregated into several parts before shifting to the CTE.
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