The pilot of a two-seater microlight aircraft of the Indian Air Force made an emergency landing on a ground in the Shastri Park area of northeast Delhi on Sunday after it developed a technical snag.
The aircraft took off from the Hindon air base in Ghaziabad around 8.30 a.m. for a routine flight and was on its way back when it suddenly developed a glitch at 10.25 a.m. Sensing that the engine had malfunctioned, pilot Bidyut Ghosh and co-pilot Amit took started looking for a safe landing place.
At the time, the aircraft (W-3413) was flying above a Delhi Development Authority ground near Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital in Shastri Park.
“Displaying exemplary alertness, the pilot first hovered over to spot a safe place for landing the plane as children were then playing on the ground. He found a space in a corner and safely landed the aircraft. Soon after the plane hit the ground, children and the area residents rushed to the spot. The pilot and the co-pilot did not sustain any injury,” said an officer.
The police received information about the landing around 10.45 a.m. and soon cordoned off the area. The pilot had by then alerted his seniors at Hindon, following which an IAF team of technicians reached the spot to examine and repair the aircraft.
Following a preliminary inspection and discussions, the technicians decided to get the aircraft transported to the Hindon air base. Accordingly, it was loaded on to a truck and taken back around 1-30 a.m.
While no official statement was issued by the IAF till Sunday evening, reports suggested that the aircraft is also