Dogs on runway, Chouhan has a close shave

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Governor Rameshwar Thakur had a close shave on Tuesday when their pilot aborted landing at Gwalior airport after spotting dogs on the runway.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Governor Rameshwar Thakur had a close shave on Tuesday when their pilot aborted landing at Gwalior airport after spotting dogs on the runway.

After an ATC warning, the pilot hovered over the runway for 10 minutes before landing at the Vijayaraje Scindia Air Terminal.

Chouhan and Rameshwar were in Gwalior to welcome President Pratibha Patil who was scheduled to present colours to the 47th Squadron and Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment Wing of the Indian Air Force.

There are conflicting reports on the reason behind the near-miss.

While the IAF says that the landing had to be aborted owing to the spotting of dogs, the MP government said two vehicles were on the runway.

MP Principal Secretary Aviation Iqbal Singh Bais said it should be probed whether two IAF vehicles had come on the runway.

On the basis of the preliminary report the state government has urged the defence ministry to probe the incident.