Flying school aircraft skids on runway at Sonari

Jamshedpur: The pilot and trainee official on board a six-seater aircraft of Alchemist flying school had a close shave when it skidded off the runway while landing at

Sonari

airport on Wednesday. Flying school officials said that the “aircraft made hard landing on its belly”.Pilot Shailesh Prajapati and deputy chief flying instructor

Satyajit Thorat

sustained no injuries but the aircraft suffered damage, said Alchemist Aviation (P) Ltd director

Mrinal Pal

. Pal said air safety, DGCA, has been apprised of the matter and a team will arrive on Thursday to investigate the cause of the mishap. “It could be mechanical failure or discrepancy in the electrical system. A probe alone would ascertain the cause,” Pal said. Sources said that the front wheels of the aircraft did not open when it was landing but the pilot managed to ground the aircraft. The double-engine

Piper Seneca

aircraft, that was at moving at speed after landing, skidded off the runway, the sources said. An ambulance and the fire brigade team was put on alert soon after the crash landing. The aircraft has been sealed and the area cordoned off. Owned and controlled by Tata Steel, the Sonari airport has 24/7 fire service and paramedical staff to handle any emergency, as per the DGCA norms, officials at the airport said.