Airline Blames "Mud on the Airstrip"

A Paramount Airways Embraer aircraft carrying 62 passengers and the crew overshot the runway during a landing attempt at Visakhapatnam Airport Saturday.

A passenger told The Siaset Daily the pilot "made a mistake in judging the landing position" and seemed to have "lost control" as the aircraft skidded onto the ground.

"The plane landed with a thud and there was a terrible jerk like the one we experience when we hit the speed-breaker at high speed," said passenger L. Venugopal Reddy, Andhra University Vice-Chancellor.

Airport officials said the aircraft overshot the runway by about 60 feet and was caught in the `soft ground arrester'. All subsequent flights to and from Visakhapatnam airport were cancelled.

"We are making arrangements … and all operations will resume from Sunday," Airport Controller Pattabhi said.

Back in the airport terminal there was "utter chaos" following the incident as there was no immediate communication about the status of other flights. While airline and airport officials were prompt in shuttling passengers away from the aircraft, information about replacement flights was slow in coming.

 
Stranded passenger K.S. Madhav said he was "vexed" with the "callous" attitude of the airport officials. "They [airport authorities] could have at least arranged a Volvo bus to transport passengers," he said.

Paramount Airways issued a statement that blamed the incident on "mud on the airstrip" and "there was no damage to the aircraft and all passengers were safe."

FMI: www.paramountairways.com