Kingfisher Airlines ATR-72 runway overrun at Mumbai

by B. N. Sullivan

An ATR-72 aircraft (registration VT-KAC) operated by India's Kingfisher Airlines appears to have been substantially damaged when it overran a runway while landing at Mumbai. The accident happened on November 10, 2009 at about 16:40 local time in Mumbai. No one among the four crew and 42 passengers on board was injured. The aircraft's nose gear, left main gear, left wing and left propeller are said to have been damaged as a result of the excursion.

According to various news reports, the aircraft, operating as Kingfisher Flight IT 4124, was arriving at Mumbai after a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bhavnagar. The aircraft apparently landed long on runway 27A and was unable to come to a halt before overrunning the end of the runway and becoming mired in mud. It should be noted that runway 27A is temporarily shortened due to displacement of the threshold while repairs are underway. At the time of the accident, the weather was said to have been cloudy with light rain and reduced visibility.

India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has opened an investigation of the accident. The two pilots have been stood down pending the outcome of the investigation.

Here is a video clip of Times Now television news coverage of the accident:

If the video does not display or play properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.

UPDATE Nov. 12, 2009: FlightGlobal.com reports today that as a result of the Kingfisher ATR runway overrun, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued new guidelines for airlines operating at Mumbai airport. Specifically, the DGCA says "no operations will be allowed on the runway if the surface is wet, and assisted take-offs and landings are not allowed."

The news DGCA guidelines also require that one of the two pilots operating aircraft on the runway must be a training captain and the other must have a minimum of 300 hours' flying experience, it adds. A de-briefing report must be filed after each flight.

Hangar fire in Abu Dhabi destroys aircraft

A fire in a maintenance hangar at Abu Dhabi destroyed a Qatar Airways Airbus A300-600 aircraft last week. The hangar belongs to the Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Company (GAMCO).

Details about the fire and its consequences were slow to emerge. An early report in the Khaleej Times said that the fire was brought quickly under control, the hangar was evacuated, and that no one was injured. An article on FlightGlobal.com added that the fire had started on board an aircraft that was parked at the maintenance facility.

On April 20, the day after the fire, FlightGlobal.com reported that the fire had started on an Airbus A300 belonging to Qatar Airways, and that at least two other aircraft had been damaged as well. One was an Air Mauritius A319 that had been parked in the hangar next to the Qatar Airways A300; the other was an A320 leased by India's Kingfisher Airlines.

UPDATE April 23, 2007:  Today FlightGlobal.com published a follow-up story that includes several pictures from the scene, one of which is displayed above. It is obvious from the photos that the A300 was completely destroyed by the fire. Here is some of what FlightGlobal.com has to say:

Information emerging from Abu Dhabi shows that the fire, initially claimed to have been brief and contained, was far worse than authorities had been prepared to admit.

Almost the entire upper fuselage, from just behind the wing box to a point aft of the flight deck, has been burned through to the crown. Structural failure has resulted in the empennage of the A300 dropping to the hangar floor.

A Gamco source says the whole cabin has been gutted by the blaze and claims that the fire took between one and two hours to extinguish – adding that, although there were no fatalities, an engineer was seriously hurt after jumping from the A300.

Images obtained by FlightGlobal show that authorities have attempted to de-identify the jet by painting over the Qatar Airways logo on the tail fin.

The source says: "They didn't have to bother with the name on the fuselage as it had been completely burned away."

FlightGlobal.com's source confirmed damage to the Kingfisher and Air Mauritius jets, and mentioned that at least three more aircraft in the hangar at the time of the fire were not damaged.

The hangar itself reportedly was not damaged as the fire was confined to the aircraft. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

[Photo Source]