The Air India Express Flight IX 613 from Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah could not retract its landing gear. The landing gear, a set of wheels and other parts that support a plane, has to be retracted to improve aerodynamics of the aircraft and reduce drag. Photo: Special Arrangement
An Air India Express Boeing 737 NG aircraft operating a flight from Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah circled over the airport for nearly three hours before making a safe return following an extended landing gear.
The landing gear is a set of wheels and other parts that support a plane when it is on the ground and make it possible to take off and land. The landing gear has to be retracted after take-off to improve the aerodynamics of the aircraft and reduce drag, but on Friday’s (October 11, 2024) flight the landing gear couldn’t be retracted.
An extended landing gear increases drag, resulting in a 150% fuel burn for an aircraft like the Boeing 737. This means a flight would not be able to complete its journey and would have to be diverted.
Flight IX 613 took off from Trichy at 5.40 p.m. on Friday (October 11, 2024) and started circling the airport minutes later as the pilots were trying to dump the fuel before returning to the airport. It finally landed back safely at 8.30 p.m.
Ambulances and first responders rushed to the airport after the Air India Express flight from Tiruchi-Sharjah was grounded due to a technical glitch.
| Photo Credit:
M. Moorthy
“Aircraft made a normal landing and all passengers are safe,” Airport Director G. Gopalakrishnan told The Hindu.
Published – October 11, 2024 08:33 pm IST