Internet applauds Monica Khanna who did the emergency landing after a Patna-Delhi flight caught fire

Monica Khanna was the pilot-in-command of the Spicejet Delhi-bound flight that caught fire after taking off from Patna airport as a bird hit the aircraft.

The last Sunday remained a panicked situation for the passengers from Patna flying to Delhi in a Delhi-bound Spicejet flight after it caught fire while taking off. The aircraft also had to make an emergency landing after having taken off from the runway. Thanks to Captain Monica Khanna, who was the pilot-in-command of the flight and skillfully landed the aircraft without any trouble to the passengers.

As soon as one bird hit the aircraft during the take-off, the plane had caught fire, a video of which was even shared by passengers on board that took rounds on social media. However, Khanna quickly shut down the left engine, which was damaged by the fire. After talking to the ATC, Khanna maintained that the plane in the air for some time. It took one round after coming back to the Patna airport.

Till the time, the plane was operating with just one engine, but not a single person from the 185 passengers on the flight complained of any hazard. Even the Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna mentioned that all the passengers were evacuated and there was no injury reported. Along with Khanna was the first officer Balpreet Singh Bhatia and reportedly both of them were calm throughout the process.

After the landing at Bihta Airforce Station in Patna, the engineers inspected the aircraft and confirmed that a fan blade and engine were damaged after the bird hit. However, The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is likely to inspect the details further.

Being an experienced officer and a highly qualified pilot of Spicejet Limited, Khanna is worthy of appreciation and the mainstream media along with social media is leaving no stone unturned in admiring her quick response to the situation.

Also Read: Dine inside an aircraft, its wings & tails as Gurgaon’s first airplane restaurant is here!

For more such stories follow Local Samosa on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , and Telegram.