Tow Tractor Hits Aircraft

May 5, 2009
Air India has de-rostered the commander of the flight, the co-pilot, AMT, and the tow tractor driver.

Soon after boarding, passengers of a Mangalore-bound Air India plane met with an accident when the airline's tow tractor pushed the airliner back, damaging its door and the aerobridge attached to it. Fortunately, none of the 172 passengers was hurt. They took off in another plane two hours later.

Air India has de-rostered (taken off from duty till an internal probe is over) the commander of the flight, the co-pilot, aircraft maintenance technicians, and the tow tractor driver. In a similar accident on April 30, a tow-tractor pushed back a Baroda-bound Kingfisher flight.

The Air India plane will need massive repairs to become airworthy again and the aerobridge — one of five in domestic terminal 1A — would be non-functional for a week. These aerobridges handle about 370 flights daily.

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