Close shave for 95 Jet Konnect passengers in Assam

Jorhat: Ninety-five passengers and crew of a Jorhat-Guwahati-Kolkata flight had a miraculous escape when the aircraft skidded off the runway at Rowriah airport here this afternoon.

"All the passengers and crew of the Jet Konnect flight number 7048 are safe and were brought down from the aircraft unhurt," said Pravakar Mishra, station director of Airport Authority of India (AAI) based at Rowriah Airport.

The Jet Konnect flight after landing at the airport at 1.45 pm was taking the first right turn on the runway to the parking bay when it skidded off it after one of its rear wheels got stuck to the ground, he said.

As the wheel got stuck to the ground, the front part of the plane tipped downward. There was panic among those onboard, but the situation was saved as the engine had been switched off and the aircraft was running at limited speed. It was about 1,500 meters away from the airport lounge, the airport authority said.

The stuck aircraft was later pulled out from the ground with the help of an Indian Air Force crane and other machinery.

The flight was canceled for technical investigation and the passengers were accommodated in local hotels, the airport authority officials added.