An Alliance Air aircraft made a precautionary landing at the New Delhi IGI airport on Friday after airport staff at Pathankot had spotted some pieces of rubber on the airport runway soon after the plane had taken off for Delhi. Officials of Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India (domestic), said it was found at Delhi airport that the tyres of the aircraft were in perfect order. The aircraft was inspected after it landed.
Meanwhile, Members of the Court of Inquiry — appointed on Thursday to probe the recent Air India Express aircraft crash at Mangalore — met on Friday in their first meeting and are expected to visit the crash site soon. Civil aviation ministry sources said the Court of Inquiry would convene again on Saturday. The court, which will be conducted by former Indian Air Force Vice-Chief Air Marshal (Retd.) B.N. Gokhale, was appointed on Thursday.
The Court of Inquiry has been ordered to submit its report by August 31, 2010. The government on Thursday had also appointed Capt. Ron Nagar, S.S. Nat, Babu Peter and G. Bhatura as “assessors” to the Court of Inquiry into the Mangalore crash. All four are individuals connected to the aviation sector.
The DGCA has already begun its probe into the Mangalore crash.