Today, a FedEx MD-11 cargo plane has overshot the runway in bad weather at Mumbai International Airport. As a cyclonic storm hit the area, the airport experienced high winds and heavy rain. The aircraft came to a stop nine meters beyond the end of the runway.
FedEx overshoots runway during Cyclone Nisarga
As reported by Mumbai Live, a FedEx McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft was involved in a "runway excursion" today at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The 29-year-old aircraft with registration number N583FE was operating as flight FX-5033 from Bangalore to Mumbai.
The flight landed on runway 14 at 12:14 local time (06:44 UTC) amid plumes of spray as the airport was battered by heavy rain and high winds caused by cyclone Nisarga. The tri-engine plane overshot the end of the runway by around nine meters (30 feet) and turned sharply to the left before coming to a stop.
This video shows the MD-11 stopping in a cloud of spray.
Nobody was injured during the incident, and neither the aircraft nor airport infrastructure was damaged. A statement from Mumbai Airport, as reported by NDTV, said,
"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport witnessed a runway excursion today with FedEx flight 5033 arriving from Bengaluru. The incident occurred when the MD11 aircraft landed on runway 14/32. The aircraft was towed away from the runway, and there has been no disruption in flight operations,"
A FedEx spokesperson told Simple Flying,
"FedEx Express Flight 5033, traveling from Bengaluru to Mumbai, India, experienced an event upon landing in inclement weather at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. There were no reported injuries to the crew or damage to the aircraft. We are fully cooperating with the authorities in reviewing this event."
Disruptions to Mumbai Airport operations
Cyclone Nisarga made landfall at the Maharashtra coast on Wednesday morning, causing Mumbai to be lashed by heavy rains and strong winds. The conditions were making landing and take-off tricky for pilots.
Operations at the airport had been reduced to 19 flights for Wednesday, including 11 departures and eight arrivals. The flights were operated by Air Asia, Air India, IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet.
After the FedEx incident, and because of the severe conditions, Mumbai Airport added to its statement by saying,
"In consultation with AAI (Airports Authority of India), considering the strong crosswinds, it has been decided that no arrivals and departures will take place between 14:30-19:00 hrs,"
Mumbai is expected to escape the worst of the cyclone as the storm weakens.
It is less than two weeks ago that India allowed domestic flights to resume into and out of its airports after a two-month ban.
FedEx MD-11 aircraft involved in previous incidents
FedEx operates a fleet of 450 aircraft, including 58 MD-11s, which have an average age of 26.5 years. Fifty-three MD-11s are currently in service, as reported by Planespotters on 3rd May.
Wednesday's runway excursion is not the first incident involving FedEx MD-11 aircraft this year. In April, an MD-11 with registration N619FE was reported as losing its right nose wheel during a routine flight from San Antonio, Texas, to Memphis, Tennessee.
The flight landed safely with one front wheel, but the FAA ruled the incident as an aviation accident.
On 22nd May, a FedEx MD-11 and a Hong Kong Airlines A330 "lost separation" at Hong Kong International Airport. The A330 was lined up for take-off and had started rolling down the runway while the MD-11 was on the final approach to the same runway. The two aircraft came within an 800 feet vertical separation of each other.