Gwalior-A state government aircraft that was reportedly carrying supplies of the COVID-19 drug Remdesivir crash-landed at Gwalior airport last night (Thursday) at around 9 PM.
The Beech 209GT Super King Air aircraft (VT-MPQ), with three people on board, was operating from Indore to Gwalior when it crash-landed on the runway.
The three people on board are absolutely safe but they received multiple minor injuries. First aid was given at the station medical center before shifting them to the hospital.
"The plane took off from Indore with vials of Remdesivir. The reason for the crash landing is not clear yet but it was a minor accident and the vials of Remdesivir injections are safe. Air force officers reached the spot and rescued the pilots and co-pilots after the incident," said the district collector of Gwalior Kaushlendra Vikram Singh.
According to Superintendent of Police Amit Sanghi, both the pilot, Captain Saeed Majid Akhtar, and co-pilot Shivshankar Jaiswal, sustained minor injuries and had been rushed to the Jaya Arogya Hospital for medical treatment. An employee who had come to procure the anti-viral remdesivir drugs also suffered injuries. However, the consignment of the life-saving anti-viral Remdesivir injections was safe.
"The plane took off from Indore with vials of Remdesivir. The reason for the crash landing is not clear yet but it was a minor accident and the vials of Remdesivir injections are safe. Air force officers reached the spot and rescued the pilots and co-pilots after the incident," Singh said.
According to the sources, the aircraft has suffered extensive damage as it got into the arrest barriers which are normally used for fighter jets.
A probe is now underway to investigate how exactly did the accident occur and whether the aircraft landed on the designated runway or it tried to land elsewhere.
The aircraft was purchased by the state government last year for a sum of ₹65 crores.
Another aircraft misadventure was reported where an ambulance aircraft lost a wheel during takeoff from Nagpur which had to land on a bed of foam carpet in Mumbai.
Union Minister of Civil Aviation tweeted about the incident sharing a video of the incident.