Vizag: IndiGo pilot aborts landing amid gale, averts major tragedy

While landing around 4.30 pm on Friday, the pilot of the Vijayawada-Vizag flight felt that the ATR aircraft was vibrating due to gale on account of cyclone `Jawad'.

Instead of landing, he flew back to the Vijayawada airport for the safety of passengers. The air traffic control (ATC) had cleared the flight for landing earlier.

Director of Visakhapatnam Airport K Srinivasa Rao confirmed the incident and said that it was a wise decision on part of the pilot not to land in the bad weather.

"Due to bad weather conditions, the pilot reported unstable approach and decided to go back. Had he landed the flight, there could have been a major disaster. All the passengers would have gone and the aircraft," Rao said.

"Practically the pilot took off a few feet above from the runway. The aircraft was vibrating as if it was going to crash. I was breathless for some seconds,'' said a passenger added after landing in Vijayawada.

On August 7, 2020, Air India Express skidded off the runway and plunged into a gorge in Calicut airport. Twenty-one passengers including two pilots were killed. The pilots after twice going back took the risk and landed leading to a disaster.

The pilot of IndiGo took a wise decision and returned to Vijayawada saving precious lives. Incidentally, Srinivasa Rao was the director of the Calicut Airport when the disaster took place.