An aircraft owned by a private aviation company made an emergency landing at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Airport on Tuesday, after it developed a landing gear glitch.
No passengers were on board and both the pilots are safe. Sources in HAL said the aircraft landed with the nose wheel “not fully down”. The aircraft – reported to be a fly-by-wire Premier IA aircraft – had taken off for the Kempegowda International Airport and after the glitch was noted, returned to the HAL Airport where it was cleared for an emergency landing.
It is reported that the aircraft’s nose landing gear could not be retracted after the take-off. “On a detailed inquiry and study, it was found that the nose wheel was not fully down. After taking all safety precautions including steps taken for the runway to avoid fire, the aircraft made a landing,” Gopal Sutar, HAL Spokesperson, said.
He said no damage was caused to the runway. The recovery of the disabled aircraft is in progress.
A video of the emergency landing – on a carpet of fire-suppressant foam on the runway – is being shared widely on social media
Published 12 July 2023, 06:47 IST