Plane carrying Himachal Pradesh Deputy CM makes emergency landing in Shimla

AGENCY: On Monday morning, the Delhi-Shimla Alliance Air flight, carrying 44 passengers, including Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and State Police Chief Atul Verma, experienced a technical issue with the aircraft’s brakes during landing at Jubbarhatti airport.

The flight crew struggled to decelerate after touchdown, prompting them to apply emergency brakes at the last moment.

The runway at Jubbarhatti, a tabletop airport with steep drops on both sides, made the situation particularly challenging. Despite the difficulty in slowing down, the aircraft managed to come to a halt before overshooting the runway.

Airport officials reported that no injuries were sustained, and all passengers were safe.

According to KP Singh, the officiating director of the airport, the flight had departed from Delhi after a routine inspection, and no issues were reported during the flight itself. Engineers are currently investigating the aircraft to identify the cause of the technical malfunction during landing.

The pilot of flight number 9I821, operating between Delhi and Shimla, reported the issue just before landing. The malfunction made it difficult for the pilots to reduce speed, resulting in the use of emergency brakes as the aircraft neared the end of the runway. The airline crew had warned passengers of the technical problem before applying the brakes.

Himachal Pradesh’s Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri shared that the plane was on the brink of the runway’s end before coming to a stop, adding that, as a layman, he could only confirm that the plane halted after the runway finished.

Shimla’s Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Gandhi, later confirmed that the accelerator malfunctioned, making it difficult for the pilots to decelerate during the landing.

Following the incident, Alliance Air cancelled three flights on the route for safety inspections. The ATR-42 aircraft, which operates daily between Delhi, Shimla, and Dharamshala, has been grounded for further checks.

Jubbarhatti airport, known for its challenging conditions, has a short runway perched on an elevated plateau surrounded by steep hills, making landings particularly difficult for pilots.