Mumbai airport: Ops affected, 8 injured as private flight veers off runway while landing

Eight people including a foreign national were on board when a private business jet nosedived and veered off the runway amid heavy rains and poor visibility at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai on Thursday.

The injured persons have been sent to Criticare Asia Hospital in Andheri and details of their condition are awaited, according to the Mumbai civic body.

The flight operations of CSMIA was badly affected for over an hour because of the incident. After hectic efforts, the operations were restored while following the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

“The incident took place at 1702 hrs. The runaway was cleared at 1847 hrs,” officials of CSMIA said.

Video footage, which went viral on social media platforms, showed the aircraft nosedive and then veer off the runway.

Photos of the aircraft show that the front side was badly damaged.

The Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-DBL)—belonging to VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd—had taken off from Visakhapatnam and was slated to land in Mumbai.

A total of eight persons—five passengers, one crew member, pilot and co-pilot were on board when the incident took place, according to the Disaster Management Unit of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Because of heavy rains, the visibility was a 700 metres, officials said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will be probing the incident.

The aircraft sustained extensive damage, however, the extent and details are not yet known.

The DMU-BMC said: “As informed by Mumbai Fire Brigade and Airport Duty Officer, a small private jet plane VT-DBL skidded off the runway and crashed thereafter at domestic airport while landing.”

The official spokesperson of the CSMIA said: “The CSMIA witnessed a runway excursion today (14.09.2023) involving a Learjet 45 aircraft VT-DBL, operating a flight from Vizag to Mumbai. This has resulted in delays in arrival and departing flights at CSMIA.”

About the immediate response, the Mumbai airport said: “Exemplary timely response from DGCA, ATC, Airside Operations, Aerodrome Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) team, CISF, Ground Handling Agencies, Airside Operations and Medical Team ensured swift execution of rescue operations resulting in zero casualties, securing the airside with immediate removal of debris and safeguarding the well-being of all passengers and restoration of normal operations in peak hours.”