Plane with Himachal deputy CM, DGP makes emergency landing in Shimla

Himachal Pradesh deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri and state police chief Atul Verma were among the 44 passengers aboard the Delhi-Shimla Alliance Air flight that reported a technical glitch with the brakes during landing at Jubbarhatti airport on Monday morning.

Airport officiating director KP Singh said all passengers are safe. “The aircraft took off from Delhi after routine inspection, and no issues were reported during the flight. Engineers are now inspecting the aircraft to determine the cause of the fault while landing.”

The pilot of flight number 9I821 from Delhi to Shimla reported the glitch during landing. Airport officials have grounded the ATR-42 aircraft for inspection to check the issue. Sources said the pilots struggled to decelerate after touchdown, forcing them to apply emergency brakes at the last moment.

According to eyewitnesses, the aircraft crossed the runway and hit the studs at the edge of the airstrip.

The aircraft nearly overshot the runway before coming to a halt. The airline crew had alerted passengers about the technical issue before applying the emergency brakes, the sources said.

Later, Agnihotri told reporters, “There was some technical issue while landing and the plane had neared the end of the airstrip. As a layman, I can only tell you that the plane stopped after the runway finished.”

“We could see that the runway was ending,” said deputy CM. Recounting the experience, Mukesh Agnihotri, said, “We reached Shimla via flight this morning. The landing was not up to the mark. When the plane was about to land, it did not touch the ground where it should have. It could not stop and reached the spot where the runway ended. The plane turned at the edge of the runway and reached a point where it could be stopped. Strong brakes were applied to stop the plane.”

“One thing is certain, there was a problem with the landing. The airport authorities cannot deny this” said Agnihotri about the incident that occurred at 8:21 AM.

“Normally, an aircraft turns before reaching the end of the runway and is brought to a halt at a designated point. It (plane) continued at high speed and reached the point where the runway ended. However, in this case, the plane went beyond that point. There is a small open space beyond the runway, and I believe the available runway length fell short of the required standards for a smooth landing. The landing was not up to the mark. A sudden and forceful brake was applied to bring the aircraft to a stop.”

“We were informed that a taxi would be arranged to transport us further. However, later we were deboarded through a different plan,” said deputy CM while adding “the issue is serious and required technical assessment.”

Shimla superintendent of police Sanjeev Gandhi said that the accelerator of the plane had malfunctioned, making it difficult for the pilots to slow down after landing.

After the incident, Alliance Air cancelled three flights on the route for safety inspections. The ATR-42 aircraft operates daily between Delhi, Shimla, and Dharamshala.

Jubbarhatti is a tabletop airport, where the runway is perched on an elevated plateau that has a 1,230m airstrip with steep drops on both sides. The combination of a short runway and surrounding hills makes landings challenging.

Will talk to the civil aviation minister: CM

On the incident of averting a possible accident at Shimla’s Jubbarhatti Airport this morning, the CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said “I will talk to the Union Civil Aviation Minister regarding this matter so that such incidents do not happen in future.”