Odisha capital bound Air Vistara suffers bird hit; narrow escape for passengers

Sambad English Bureau Published On : May 5, 2016 at 1:16 PM Updated On : May 5, 2016 at 4:18 PM

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, May 5:

Passengers aboard Delhi-Bhubaneswar Air Vistara flight (UK-709) had a narrow escape this morning following a bird hit while the aircraft was on its way to Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) of Odisha Capital.

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Even though the nose of the aircraft has been badly hit due to the accident, the passengers and crew aboard the plane are safe.

The incident occurred while the plane was in the air some 70 kilometers away from Bhubaneswar airport. The pilot, however, managed to land the plane safely at the airport at about 8:22 in the morning. Cracks in the nose of the plane were discovered during the post flight inspection, said BPIA Director R Mahalingam.

The return journey of the plane has been cancelled following the incident. It will only be airborne again following an airworthiness check and clearance by a team of technical experts.

According to a Vistara official, spare parts have already been ordered and the plane is likely to fly back to New Delhi after 9 PM tonight.

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