Bengaluru, Apr 27 (HT): The Congress on Thursday sought an investigation by the Karnataka police after an aircraft carrying party president Rahul Gandhi and four others from Delhi to Hubballi developed a glitch.
According to a complaint filed by Congress functionary Kaushik Vidyarthee, one of the passengers, the special flight that took off from Delhi around 9.20 am developed “unexplained technical failures” around 10.45 am.
Hinting at the possibility of a conspiracy, the complaint said the plane “shuddered violently”, tilting to one side, while a noise was audible. The complaint also said the autopilot did not function and that the plane landed in Hubballi only on the third attempt.
“It is to be stated that the weather outside was sunny, normal and not windy as per the observation of the passengers and as per the forecast of the day,” the complaint said. “The crew was also petrified and admitted that the flight was particularly frightening and uncommon," it added.
The pilot and the crew of the aircraft have been questioned, an official at Hubballi airport said on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Gandhi is on a two-day tour of Karnataka ahead of the May 12 assembly elections in the state.
No complaint from Rahul's pilot about snag: Airport official
Hubballi, Apr 27 (IANS): No complaint has been received from the pilot of an aircraft which reportedly developed a snag when Congress President Rahul Gandhi was flying in it on Thursday, said an airport official here on Friday.
"Neither the pilot nor the air traffic control (ATC) complained to me about the snag," Hubballi airport Director Ahilya S. Kakodikar told reporters here.
The director of the airport, which is managed by the state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI), also stressed that the aircraft had a safe landing.
"It was a safe landing. In case of any abnormalities, the ATC would have recorded it," she said.
The Congress on Thursday complained to the Karnataka Police that the Falcon 2000 aircraft in which Gandhi and four others flew to Hubballi, about 400km northwest of state capital Bengaluru, from Delhi suffered a snag mid-air.
The complaint, addressed to the state's Director General Neelamani N. Raju, requested the state police chief to "ground" the aircraft at Hubballi and investigate the malfunction.
Based on the complaint by Congress official Shakir Sanadi, the police in Hubballi lodged a First Information Report late on Thursday.
Gandhi arrived here around 11.25 a.m. on Thursday on a two-day visit to the state to launch the party's campaign for the May 12 assembly elections.