Metal Debris Falls from Aircraft During Emergency Landing at Delhi Airport: DGCA Orders Probe

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation after metal pieces allegedly fell from an aircraft during an emergency landing at Delhi Airport. The incident, involving an Air India Express flight, resulted in no injuries to passengers. The source of the metal pieces is yet to be determined.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Wednesday initiated an inquiry following reports of metal pieces allegedly falling from an aircraft that executed an emergency landing at Delhi Airport. The emergency procedure was declared on Monday evening after crew members detected an engine fault. The landing was successful, with no injuries reported among the passengers. The incident was also brought to the attention of the Delhi Police.

A senior official from the DGCA confirmed that a thorough investigation into the incident has been ordered, along with a safety inspection of the aircraft. According to Delhi Police, a PCR call was received at 9:30 PM on Monday evening from a resident of Anuj Vihar, Shankar Vihar area, reporting 'falling aircraft pieces'. At the location, the caller informed that an aircraft had passed overhead and metal pieces had fallen onto their flat. Findings from the caller included a small piece of black-colored metal, which was handed over to the police.

Further verification with Air Traffic Control (ATC) revealed that Air India Express flight IX 145 had taken off for Bahrain at 8:48 PM. Crew members identified an engine issue mid-flight, necessitating an emergency landing, which was completed successfully at 9:10 PM without any harm to passengers. The PCR call followed the safe landing of the aircraft. It remains to be confirmed whether the metal pieces are from the aircraft through a pending technical inspection. Concerned authorities have been notified for further action.

Rohit Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South West), stated, 'This is yet to be confirmed. The inspection report of the aircraft is pending. Only when the report is submitted will we know if something is missing from the aircraft.' In response to the situation, an Air India Express spokesperson commented, 'Air India Express flight IX 145 on September 2 encountered an engine issue after taking off from Delhi. The failure was managed according to standard procedures, and a precautionary landing was carried out at Delhi.'

'The matter has been reported to the regulator and other concerned agencies and is currently under investigation. We are aware of reports about metal pieces found in Shankar Vihar. At this time, we cannot confirm if these metal pieces originated from our aircraft. The investigation is ongoing to establish the facts,' the spokesperson added.

(With inputs from agencies.)