Patna: As many as 181 passengers and eight crew members of an IndiGo flight from Patna to Delhi had a miraculous escape when one of the engines of the plane broke down minutes after its take off on Friday.
All passengers heaved a sigh of relief after the pilots managed to land the flight safely back at Jayaprakash Narayan International (JPNI) airport at Patna around 30-minutes of detour.
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Reports said that an engine of Indigo flight (6E 2433) stopped working as soon as it took off around from JPNI airport at around 8.40am. The pilots noticed the major technical snag in one of the engines three-four minutes of the flight’s take off and decided to return.
The flight remained hovering in the sky for about half an hour before making an emergency landing. All safety measures were taken at the ground to meet any eventuality. Fire personnel had taken their positions and ambulances were put in operation mode.
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“However, the flight landed safely at 9.11am, as the pilots resorted to emergency protocol. According to the pilot, no further assistance was required. All operations at the airport are normal.
Neeraj Agarwal, owner of Patna’s Cimage College, who was on the flight, took to the facebook to pen the anxiety and chaos the passengers had undergone after the emergency was announce on the flight. He wrote that after half an hour’s flight in Indigo’s flight going to Delhi, the pilot said that he would have to return to Patna. “All the air hostesses came quickly and announced that holding the front seat, you will rest your head between your hands on the front seat. There were loud noises coming from the flight engine. I was feeling scared again and again,” he said.
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Passengers said that all passengers had a harrowing experience for 15 minutes, until the plight landed to safety. “The landing did not go smoothly, but the pilot handled the flight very intelligently even after experiencing engine trouble,” said another passenger.
Passenger Anil Sinha said that 10 to 15 minutes after the flight took off, the air hostess asked all the passengers to bend down holding the front seat. “The disturbing sound was coming from the engine. We didn’t understand anything,” he added.
The IndiGo arranged another flight for Delhi bound passengers, which took off around 11.30 am.
