Trainer aircraft crash-lands at Bangalore airport

The Bangalore airport was closed for nearly two hours on Monday evening after a trainer aircraft belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF) crash-landed on the runway.

However, the pilot of the Kiran Mark I trainer aircraft squadron leader Beri and co-pilot Santhosh, also a flight engineer, escaped with minor injuries.

The trainer aircraft belonging to the Aircraft Systems and Testing Establishment (ASTE) of the IAF was on a routine sortie on Monday evening when the mishap took place. “After flying for about 45 minutes, the aircraft landed on its belly. The nose wheels failed to open in time”, said an ASTE official.

The aircraft had suffered extensive damage after it landed on its belly with sparks flying. The rear wheels had caught fire due to the sparks flying in their direction as the aircraft moved after a touchdown sans the front wheel, according to airport officials.

IAF personnel and the fire tenders rushed to the spot to help the two pilots. They were rushed to a hospital for a medical check up to screen them for injuries.

However, the aircraft with a badly damaged front portion sat on the runway for nearly two hours disrupting air traffic at the busy Bangalore airport. A total of 17 in-bound and out-bound flights were disrupted on account of the mishap, airport officials said. A few flights, which had already entered the Bangalore air space, were also made to hover over the City till the wreckage was removed from the runway with a crane. Flights resumed only late on Monday evening.
Meanwhile, the IAF has ordered an inquiry into the crash. “Everything was under control and no technical failure was reported during the course of the flight or during landing. Anyway, the malfunction is under investigation”, a senior IAF official said.