A SpiceJet technician, Rohit Pandey lost his life after he got stuck in the main landing gear door at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, around 1 am on Wednesday, 10 July.
His body was removed from the landing gear with the help of fire brigade.
The aviation regulator DGCA will conduct a probe into the incident and take appropriate action, the Civil Aviation Ministry has said.
WHAT HAPPENED?
"The technician was carrying out maintenance on the landing gear of the Bombardier Q400 plane when the landing door accidentally got closed and he got stuck there," said an official at the Kolkata airport.
A complaint on "unnatural death" was filed at the Airport police station, a senior police officer said.
Cops visited the site of accident, the officer said, adding that forensic experts will be collecting evidence shortly.
WHAT IS THE POLICE SAYING?
"Our officers have reached the spot. We are talking to other staffers of the airline who were present there. We are trying to understand whether it was a technical glitch or the result of someone's callousness," the officer said.
The tragic incident took place when the official was inspecting the SpiceJet ATR aircraft at the airport.
The police is currently investigating the accident to ascertain how hydraulic pressure was activated and how the deceased fell victim to it.
The accident follows a week of runway excursions and incidents involving SpiceJet aircraft, which has put the airline under Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) scanner.
SPICEJET’S OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Responding to the incident, SpiceJet said, “Inadvertently, the main landing gear hydraulic door closed and he got stuck in between the hydraulic door flaps. The Hydraulic doors were broken to rescue Pandey but he was declared dead. The entire SpiceJet family stands together in grief in this unfortunate incident.”
THE CIVIL AVIATION MINISTRY’S STATEMENT
The Civil Aviation Ministry on Thursday, 11 July, said that the aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will conduct a detailed inquiry and take appropriate action in the death of the Spicejet technician, PTI reported.
"We are anguished by the tragic incident at Kolkata airport where one Spicejet Technician died while carrying out maintenance work. The DGCA will conduct a detailed inquiry and take appropriate action," the Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI, The Times of India)
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