30 March,2009 04:52 PM IST | | PTI
A trainee pilot on Monday had a narrow escape when his plane veered off the runway at the Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport here.
A single engine trainer plane, TB-20, VT of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy (Raebareli) landed here at about 12.15 pm as per the schedule.
"The plane had a proper landing at the airstrip but during taxiing its undercarriage collapsed and the plane landed on its belly, dragging along the air strip," Director, Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, SK Siddh, said.
After dragging for a few metres the plane veered off the tarmac and stopped. Siddh said that the pilot of the plane, Raghu, had a miraculous escape and was evacuated without any injury.
Due to the incident, traffic at the airport remained obstructed for about 45 minutes.
A Jet Airways flight was diverted to Lucknow, which later landed at Varanasi, about an hour late, the director said. He said that an enquiry was being conducted in to the incident.
