Boeing Flight Had Engine Issues, No Bird Hit: Spicejet Passenger

Another passenger, Gaurav, said, “I was sitting at the window seat. Immediately after the take-off, a spark was seen coming out of the engine."

Patna: A major accident was averted on Sunday after a Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight SG 723 caught fire mid-air due to certain issues in the engine. The flight, with 185 passengers on board, returned to Patna airport after spending about 22 minutes in mid-air.

The passengers, who were on the flight, shared their accounts of what exactly happened from the take-off to the safe landing.

Pacifica, a young passenger on the plane, said, “As soon as the plane took off, there was a strange, tucking sound. My breath just got stuck in my chest. Meanwhile, the pilot announced, ‘Passengers should not panic, we are returning to Patna.’ Then after some time, the flight landed safely but I was still shaken by the whole episode.

Another passenger, Gaurav, said, “I was sitting at the window seat. Immediately after the take-off, a spark was seen coming out of the engine. We got terrified after seeing this. We all were scared as there was a lot of trouble in landing the plane. By the time the flight landed, there was utter chaos and panic in the flight.

Huge relief after the plane landed safely

The principal of Tribhuvan School and her daughter were also aboard the flight. The principal’s husband Mahua Das told that he had reached home in about 15 minutes after dropping both of them at the airport and as soon as he switched on the TV, he saw the news of the plane catching fire. He immediately rushed back to the airport and by that time the flight had landed safely. It was then he heaved a sigh of relief.

Spark was visible from the window

Shibbu Suman, who was on seat number 18, told that when the flight was still on the runway, she could hear an unusual sound and sparks were visible from the window as soon as the plane took off. She asserted that the bird-hit theory is false. The airline staff should have checked the plane before flying it.

Anything could have happened; was chanting prayers

Madhav Pandey, former district judge of Chhapra and president of Gaya Consumer Forum, was also on the flight. He said, “As soon as the flight took off, there was a sound like something is knocking. I pointed it out to the airline crew but no one cared. We stayed up in the air for 15-20 minutes. It was only later that everyone realised the gravity of the situation. I was just saying my prayers. The pilot did a great job in these circumstances.