An unused Air India passenger plane that was being road-transported from the Begumpet Airport ‘crashed’ into private property in Hyderabad. No injuries were reported.
Police sources revealed the Airbus A-320 was being shifted from the airport to Air India’s cadet training facility at Balanagar when the incident happened. A part of airport wall was removed to facilitate extraction and transport of the plane. A crane mounted on a 16-wheelbase transport carrier was expected to hold the plane aloft while the carrier meandered its way to the training facility.
A short while after the truck began moving, the crane toppled under the weight of the plane, dropping the aircraft on a wall nearby. Police and airport officials confirmed no one was injured in the incident. Secunderabad Cantonment Board, the municipal authority administering the area, said they would look into the incident.
The plane was recently repaired for instructional purpose and was put on display during last month’s civil aviation exhibition inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee. Sources informed that the plane will now have to be cut into pieces before being removed and is likely to serve no purpose after.
