#QatarAirways: Water tanker collides with aircraft in Kolkata airport
In yet another avoidable mishap in India's aviation sector, around 100 passengers were stranded at the Kolkata airport in the wee hours of Thursday after a water tanker collided with a Qatar Airways aircraft near its landing gear. The accident took place at 1:52am on Thursday morning when passengers were boarding the aircraft, but thankfully, all of them are safe. Here are the details.
The accident left the underbelly of the aircraft damaged
As the Doha-bound flight, QR 541, was preparing to take off, a water tanker collided with the underbelly of the plane near the landing gear. The accident left the plane damaged, and the aircraft had to be sent for repairs. Meanwhile, the 103 passengers who were supposed to take flight have been given accommodation, and will take the 3am flight to Doha on Saturday.
DGCA has initiated an investigation into the incident
Commenting on the accident, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) sources told news agency PTI that an investigation into the incident had been initiated after the passengers were de-boarded and the plane was grounded for primary inspections. Corrective measures will be taken based the investigation's findings. Meanwhile, AAI officials said that the water tanker had technical issues and its brakes were not functioning properly.
Earlier, an Air India flight had hit an airport wall
Earlier this month, an Air India flight carrying 136 passengers from Trichy to Dubai scraped the boundary wall of the Trichy airport while taking off. Although the scrape left a large gash in the underbelly of the aircraft, the nonchalant pilots kept flying for almost four hours before the plane was recalled to the Mumbai airport. All passengers, miraculously, were safe.
