NEW DELHI: The landing gear of an Indigo flight from Pune to Guwahati on Sunday morning failed to retract after take-off putting to risk 185 passengers and six crew members on board.
A full emergency was briefly declared at Pune airport to facilitate the safe landing of the plane. The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, has been informed about the incident.
The incident occurred just after Flight 6E 623, an A320 Neo, took off from Pune International Airport at 7.32 am.
Most aircraft have three landing gear that fold into the wheel wells or bays located in the body or the wings of an aircraft after the flight has taken off. The flight can begin the cruise only after this happens.
A source at Pune airport said, "A few minutes after the take-off, the pilot noted that one of the gears had not retracted into its bay. The details about the gears are displayed in the cockpit controls." The pilot had to mandatorily return to the airport in case such a situation arises, he added.
The pilot briefed the Air Traffic Control authorities and sought permission to return. "The flight was in a holding pattern (hovering in the skies) for quite some time until the airport could be cleared for its landing," he said.
An emergency was declared at Pune airport with no departures and arrivals permitted. Rescue personnel, ambulances, medical staff and firefighters were kept on standby. "The flight landed safely, and all passengers were escorted to the terminal building. We lifted the emergency in a little over ten minutes," another source said.
The aircraft was taken to an exclusive bay (Bay 9) where planes with technical faults are rectified." It has been grounded, ed and checks are underway," he added.
The passengers were later accommodated in a ferry (non-revenue flight with mostly crew on board) which was flown in Bengaluru, an airport official said.
The alternative flight took off at 2.20 pm and landed safely at Guwahati's Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at 4.49 pm.
In a statement, the airline said the aircraft had a technical snag after take-off. "The aircraft is undergoing maintenance checks and will resume operations after securing necessary clearances. An alternate aircraft has been arranged promptly," it said.
All relevant authorities were immediately Passengers were offered meals and refreshments during the delay, IndiGo added.
