A Cessna Caravan aircraft, belonging to the North East Shuttle Service, crash landed at Lengpui airport near here this morning after overshooting the runway, injuring nine persons who were on board.
Aizawl district SP Lalbiakthanga Khiangte, who visited the site of the crash, said that the nine-seater small aircraft overshot the runway, apparently due to strong wind, and fell into a brook after hitting the Instrumental Landing System.
He said that the injured, including a minor, have been given medical treatment and their condition has been stated to be stable.
While Airport Authority of India officials were tight-lipped about the visibility condition at the airport, unofficial sources said that the visibility was lower than the prescribed norms for landing a small aircraft.
Mr. Khiangte said that though visibility was stated to be around 2,000 metres, 500 below the permitted norm, the pilot claimed that permission was taken under the Special Visibility Flight rules and a visual landing was attempted.
The North East Shuttle uses the U.S.-made Cessna Caravan ’air taxi’ to fly passengers between Lengpui and Kolkata and the capitals of Northeastern states, including Agartala, Guwahati, Imphal and Silchar.
Mr. Khiangte said that an inquiry has been ordered to find out the cause of the crash.
