GUWAHATI: The presence of mind of two women pilots saved the lives of 48 passengers and four crew aboard a Guwahati-bound Air India plane on Sunday, after the flight lost one of the front wheels during take off from Silchar airport at 9 am.
The flight, which was scheduled to depart Khumbirgram Airport in Silchar at 7.20 am left at 9 am owing to a certain declared technical snag that developed moments before the take off. As the plane was in the air, the automated alarm of the flight cautioned passengers on board to be prepared for any eventuality.
For the 48 passengers on board it was a nail biting moment. However, the pilot did not panic, and she kept the plane hovering over the skies of Guwahati to exhaust excess fuel so that the plane does not catch fire in case of a crash landing. The ATR 9760 flight from Silchar was being flown by Urmila Yadav and co-pilot Yashu. They kept the aircraft circling for more than two hours over the airport to burn off the fuel while preparations were being made for an emergency landing. agencies -Dailytimes
