SpiceJet flight SG 725 traveling from Patna to Delhi caught fire in one of its engines at 12 noon.
All 185 passengers in the flight escaped any fatalities. The burning engine was noticed when the flight was between Khagaul and Phulwarisharif. The location is 3.7kms away from Patna airport.
The flight was supposed to reach Delhi at 1:30 pm. Chandrashekhar Singh, the District Magistrate of Patna, informed that due to the incidental delay, the airlines were arranging for ferries to take the passengers to their destination.
The passengers after being deboarded were huddled back into Phulwarisharif airport. One of the passengers stated, “I saw sparks flying from one of the engines below the left-wing of the aircraft soon after the aircraft took off.”
The residents around the Phulwarisharif airport stated initially hearing a loud sound. Then they noticed a cloud of smoke coming out from one of the engines of the plane.
Cause of fire on SpiceJet Flight
The officials at Phulwarisharif airport also suspect the fire to be caused by a bird hit.
Chandrashekhar Singh reported that the matter was being investigated and all the passengers were safe. He also stated, “The aircraft landed safely at the Patna airport after smoke was noticed from one of the left engines of the airplane, possibly after a bird hit or a technical fault.”
The issue of birds hitting the planes has always been there in Patna airport. The reason is an abattoir situated nearby. While the issue has been raised multiple times in the environment committees of the state, no concrete decisions were taken.
Anchal Prakash, the airport director of Patna, did not respond to calls from HT. There was no response from the station manager of SpiceJet as well.
The load on the airport has been high due to the recent cancellation of trains over the Agneepath Protests.
