Cyclone Nisarga: A FedEx MD-11 plane skids off runway in Mumbai amid rain (Video credit: Faiz & Avez)
Highlights
- The cargo aircraft veered off the runway after landing at Mumbai airport
- Severe cyclonic storm Nisarga made landfall today
- The MD-11 aircraft had come from Bengaluru
A cargo aircraft veered off the runway after landing in heavy rain at Mumbai airport as severe cyclonic storm Nisarga made landfall in the Maharashtra coast on Wednesday. In visuals, the plane is seen coming to a stop on a wet runway and under heavy rain while its massive landing gears displace water with a strong force, creating jets of water to rise several metres from the ground.
The MD-11 aircraft involved in the runway excursion incident belongs to American logistics firm FedEx and it came from Bengaluru. A runway excursion happens when a plane leaves the runway in use during take-off or landing. It may be intentional or unintentional.
The plane has been towed away from the runway and the incident did not disrupt flights. After discussing with the Airports Authority of India, Mumbai airport decided not to operate flights till 6 pm.
"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport witnessed a runway excursion today with FedEx flight 5033 arriving from Bengaluru. The incident occurred when the MD11 aircraft landed on runway 14/32. The aircraft was towed away from the runway and there has been no disruption in flight operations," Mumbai airport said in a statement.
"The airport will be operating a total of 19 flights which include 11 departures and 8 arrivals on June 3. The flights will be operated by 5 airlines - Air Asia India, Air India, IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet. There could be changes to the schedule and passengers are requested to check the schedule with their airlines before leaving for the airport," GVK, which manages Mumbai airport, said in a statement.
Crosswinds and heavy rain as a result of the severe cyclonic storm could make landing and take-off tricky for pilots, who need to align their large passenger jets with the runway properly.
The storm is expected to weaken into a cyclone in a few hours. With wind speeds slowing down, coronavirus-hit Mumbai may have escaped the worst of the tropical storm. No damage has been reported from the financial capital where movement of people is restricted in public places like beaches, parks and promenades along the coastline till tomorrow afternoon.
The MD-11 is a long range, wide-body plane in service since 1990. It was manufactured by McDonnell Douglas before the company merged with Boeing. The last MD-11 was delivered by Boeing in 2001, according to aviation industry tracker website Skybrary.