SpiceJet Technician Dies In 'Freak Accident' At Kolkata Airport

A SpiceJet technician died today while carrying out maintenance work on aircraft (Representational)

A SpiceJet technician died today in a 'freak accident' while carrying out regular maintenance work on an aircraft at Kolkata airport, officials said. The incident happened at around 1:45 am.

Officials at the airport said that the technician got trapped in the landing gear door of the aircraft while carrying out maintenance work. His body was removed from the landing gear with the help of fire department personnel.

"The technician was carrying out maintenance work on the landing gear of a Bombardier Q400 plane belonging to SpiceJet, when the landing door accidentally got closed and he got stuck," a senior airport official told news agency Press Trust of India.

In a short statement issued this morning, SpiceJet said, "Extremely saddened to share that our technician Rohit Pandey passed away last night in an unfortunate incident at Kolkata airport. He was doing maintenance work in right hand main landing gear wheel well area of a Q400 aircraft which was parked in Bay No. 32 at airport."

"Inadvertently, the main landing gear hydraulic door closed and he got stuck in between the hydraulic door flaps. The Hydraulic doors were broken to rescue Mr Pandey but he was declared dead. The entire SpiceJet family stands together in grief in this unfortunate incident," the statement read.

Details of how the door accidentally shut is being examined by the police. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation will also carry out an inquiry into the accident, an official at Kolkata's Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport said.

A case of "unnatural death" has been filed at the Kolkata Airport police station, a senior police officer said, adding that a police team has already visited the site of the accident.

Forensic experts are there to collect evidence, based on which a report will be prepared, the officer said.

"Our officers have reached the spot. We are talking to other staffers of the airline who were present there. We are trying to understand whether it was a technical glitch or the result of someone's callousness," the officer said.

The landing gear door of an aircraft is a mechanism which is supposed to cover the landing gear during a flight. It comprises of three parts - a hydraulic opening system, a gravitational opening system, and a hydraulic closing system.

The aim of the landing gear door is to guarantee both protection of the landing gear, while also maintaining the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. These doors are located below the aircraft and ensure that the minimum area opens while the landing gear extends out for the aircraft to land safely.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)