Charter Flight Carrying Rajasthan CM Lands On Wrong Airstrip, DGCA Launches Probe
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) launched an inquiry into the incident and grounded the flight crew as the investigation continues.
A chartered Dassault Falcon 2000 aircraft carrying Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma mistakenly landed at a civil airstrip in Phalodi on Thursday, instead of its scheduled destination at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in the city.
The flight departed Delhi at 3 pm and touched down at the civil airstrip in Phalodi, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Realising the error, the pilots reportedly took off again and redirected the aircraft to the nearby IAF station, around 5 kilometres away, where the CM disembarked as planned.
A few hours later, the same aircraft flew him to Jaipur before returning to Delhi later that night, said officials.
DGCA Probe On
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) launched an inquiry into the incident and grounded the flight crew as the investigation continues.
The operator of the aircraft has also filed a voluntary report regarding the mislanding.
'The CM flew from Delhi to Phalodi on July 31 at 3 pm. The aircraft landed at the civil airstrip in Phalodi. The pilots immediately took off from the wrong airstrip and then landed at the Phalodi IAF station, which was the scheduled airport for it and about 5 km away from the former. The CM alighted there and a couple of hours later flew the aircraft to Jaipur. The Falcon 2000 then flew back to Delhi the same night," said an official, as reported by TOI.
Sources suggest the incident may have stemmed from a pre-flight planning oversight.
Both the civil and military airstrips in Phalodi share similar runway orientation and visual markers, which may have led to confusion during the approach.
'Both the runways have similar orientation and visual characteristics. The flight crew misidentified the intended runway during approach. Seemingly there was inadequate pre-flight briefing about the presence of two airfields in close vicinity. Pilots must get proper pre-flight briefing and that is something operators need to work on to ensure such things don't happen," sources said.
Aviation experts point out that such an error, if reversed—mistakenly entering military airspace—could lead to serious legal and safety implications.
Civil runways may not be structurally equipped to handle aircraft of the Falcon 2000's weight and class, potentially compromising operational safety.
The incident took place in Phalodi, located in Rajasthan's Thar Desert region, known as the 'Salt City" due to the salt industry in Rin. The town is strategically situated near Bikaner, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer.
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