Air India plane hits stationary step-ladder

 Another incident of a collision between an aircraft and a step-ladder has made the director general of civil aviation (DGCA) think seriously about these recurring incidents.

On August 19, the engine of an Air India (AI) aircraft which was about to take-off from Ahmedabad airport suffered damage as it hit a stationary step-ladder while pushing back from the parking bay. The DGCA is conducting an inquiry into the matter. This is the third such incident reported in the last four months.

At 2.15 pm, the Ahmedabad-Mumbai-New York flight AI 191 faced problem taking off with 400 passengers on board. “During push back, a step-ladder kept on the right side of the aircraft for another incoming aircraft hit the right engine of the plane,” said an AI official from Ahmedabad airport. However, after checking, the aircraft took-off for Mumbai at 2.30 pm.

There have been more such incidents where step-ladders were not removed from the aircraft by the ground-handling staff. Such acts either caused severe damage to the aircraft or delay to passengers. On May 12, Jetlite’s Mumbai-Goa flight S2 655 got delayed as the horizontal stabiliser of its left wing was hit by a step-ladder that was in the process of being removed. The aircraft was rendered immovable and the passengers were accommodated on another flight. On May 15, an AI Mumbai-Chennai flight was delayed by four hours as the aircraft was pushed back even when the aero-bridge was not removed, damaging aeroplane’s door.