29 April 2019 – Spicejet Boeing 737-800 (VT-SGJ) operating flight SG946 from Delhi, overshoot runway 09 of Shirdi Airport, India today.
“A SpiceJet aircraft shot off the runway by about 50 meters and skidded off. There is no injury to any passenger and the crew, though. Our first priority is to evacuate passengers without compromising their safety,” an airport official told news agency PTI over the phone
Both pilots operating the Boeing 737 aircraft have been suspended with immediate effect after this event.
DGCA has also dispatched an official to conduct an initial probe in the matter and a full-fledged investigation will be conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
The video of the incident is below:
The number of passengers onboard the aircraft is unknown, but all of them had a providential escape.
However, passengers were stuck at the aircraft for several hours, left with little clarity. Some took to Twitter to express their frustration.
Following the incident, the runway was temporarily closed said Shirdi Airport Director Deepak Shastri. “We are making all efforts to tow away the aircraft and clear the runway for operations as the earliest,” he added.
Inaugurated in 2017, the airport in question is located about 14 km from the holy town of Shirdi, famous for a temple of 19th-century saint Sai Baba. Thousands of devotees visit the temple every day.
Feature image by:Chowkidar Dharmesh Rathod