Plane tyre bursts, narrow escape for Jharkhand CM

Officials at the Biras Munda Airport said no passenger was injured in the incident. The flight G8-147 from delhi landed around 7.30pm

More than 160 passengers including Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das on board a GoAir flight had a miraculous escape when one of the rear tyres burst while landing at the Ranchi airport on Thursday evening.

Officials at the Biras Munda Airport said no passenger was injured in the incident. The flight G8-147 from delhi landed around 7.30pm

“The flight landed safely at the airport and no one was hurt,” Ranchi airport director Anil Vikram said adding that the reason for the tyre burst was being identified.

Chief minister Raghubar Das, who was in Bhopal during the day to attend the Viswa Hindi Sammelan, was travelling back to Ranchi via Delhi. Officials in the CM secretariat said he did not feel the impact from the tyre burst.

This is the second such incident at the Ranchi airport this week, with another flight suffering a bird hit on Monday.

Mushrooming high-rises, reckless dumping of kitchen waste, presence of eateries, meat and fish shops around the airport lure birds, which often delay aircraft takeoff and touchdown, said an airport official.

The airport administration has decided to rope in a private firm to combat bird menace near the premises. The agency would be responsible for keeping birds and stray animals away from the airport, officials said.

Nine to-and-fro flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Patna operate from the airport, which caters to five lakh passengers annually.