NEDUMBASSERY: A Gulf Air flight from Bahrain with 137 passengers and six crew members on board had a miraculous escape when it skidded off the runway while landing at the Cochin International Airport here in the early hours of Monday.One passenger, Sait Mohammed, 47, of Thekkinkad in Palakkad, who suffered fractures in his ribs, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Little Flower Hospital, Angamaly. Six others who sustained minor injuries as they jumped off the emergency exits were discharged after first aid at the Amrita Hospital’s medical unit at the airport. The Gulf Air aircraft (GF 270), an Airbus 320, was on its way to land around 3.50 am when it shot off the runway and went to a muddy area. Poor visibility and heavy rain led to the incident, according to the pilot. The wings, nose wheel and the engine of the aircraft were damaged. CIAL Managing Director V J Kurien said, “It started raining when the flight was at a height of 2,000 feet. Then there was sudden rain and wind which led to poor visibility. The pilot reported that he could not see the runway when the flight was just above 352 feet, which is below the decision-making height.’’ Sand and mud would have entered the engine, making it impossible to tow the aircraft to either the taxi way or the isolated bay. Immediately after the incident, the runway was closed, leading to cancellation and diversion of 12 international flights and long delay of 15 domestic flights. Some fights scheduled to land in Kochi were diverted to other airports.Airport officials said the accident occurred even before the pilot had passed prior information to Air Traffic Control, seeking permission for emergency landing. But CIAL had alerted various agencies about the rain and wind. Three fire-mobile units were stationed at different points on the side of the runway. The rescue operation began immediately.The Director General of Civil Aviation has begun a probe into the incident. CIAL cleared 1750 metres of the runway by 8 am to facilitate the operation of ATR aircraft. The runway length to a distance of 2050 metres was cleared by 10 am for bigger aircraft to operate service. CIAL has brought two cranes of 50 and 60-tonnes capacity to help lift the damaged aircraft resting near the runway. A bigger crane of 100-tonnes capacity from Cochin Shipyard will also help clear the aircraft. A Help Desk (phone 3053213) was set up at the airport by CIAL for the passengers.
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