Private jet skids off runway at Mumbai airport amid heavy rain, eight injured

A private jet carrying eight people veered off the runway at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and crashed on Thursday during its landing, amidst adverse weather conditions caused by heavy rain. The mishap resulted in injuries to all eight occupants, including two crew members, who were promptly transported to the Criticare Asia Hospital in Mumbai’s Andheri East, as reported by airport authorities.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) attributed the aircraft’s skid off the runway to poor visibility, which had significantly deteriorated due to the persistent heavy rain.

Some pictures of the accident at Mumbai Airport involving a Learjet, Taxiway Whiskey, Runway in use -27 received from sources at the airport.
Flight was from Vishakhpatnam to Mumbai, charter. Time of accident 5:04 pm.
6 passengers, 2 crew- no casualties reported.
Expect… pic.twitter.com/LXc8b6Im66

— manisha singhal (@manishasinghal) September 14, 2023

Disturbing footage has emerged, depicting the aircraft lying in a wrecked state on the sidelines of the runway. First responders, including fire engines and the airport rescue team, were deployed to manage the situation.

The aircraft, identified as the VSR Ventures Learjet 45 with the registration VT-DBL, was operating a flight from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai when it experienced a runway excursion during its landing on runway 27 at Mumbai Airport, as confirmed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Following the incident, the airport temporarily suspended all operations for more than an hour. It was only after receiving clearance from the DGCA and Air Traffic Control (ATC) at 6.47 pm that the runway was reopened for operations.

A particularly distressing aspect of the incident was the outbreak of a fire inside the aircraft after the crash. Fortunately, and perhaps miraculously, no casualties have been reported at this time. Importantly, there were no VIPs among the passengers on board during the incident.

The DGCA further disclosed that at the time of the incident, visibility at the airport was just 700 meters, heavily compromised by the ongoing heavy rainfall.