On Sunday evening, the pilots of a SpiceJet plane were distracted moments before landing the plane in Kolkata when a kite struck the windshield of the aircraft. Thankfully, the plane landed safely, and the pilots later filed a report with the Airports Authority of India.

Distracted landing

One of the most crucial stages of a flight, a landing approach requires the undivided attention of the pilot in command. It is also a time when chances of the airplane hitting a bird or any airborne object are particularly high.

On August 7th, a SpiceJet Dash 8-Q400 aircraft was struck by a kite on the windshield on its final approach to Kolkata, momentarily unnerving the pilots.

According to a report by The Times of India, the plane was rapidly descending toward Kolkata Airport when the pilots spotted kites in the air. As the captain alerted the air traffic control about the situation, a kite struck the windshield, temporarily distracting the pilots at such a crucial moment.

After landing, the pilots reported the matter to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), which then reported it to the police. Flying kites in and around the airport is banned, especially along the route taken by airplanes on their final approach to the runway.

Other incidents

This isn’t an isolated incident at Kolkata airport. There have been reports in the past about flight movements being affected due to the lighting system from venues close to the airport during the popular religious festival of Durga Puja.

Last year, three pilots complained in October during the Durga Puja festival that the laser light from a make-shift structure modeled after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa affected their ability to concentrate during the landing.

The 150-feet high structure had elaborate laser lights along the glide path to the airport, which was just a few kilometers away. The lights were strong enough to momentarily blind the pilots, which could potentially have had disastrous consequences.

The civil aviation ministry proposed police action on laser lights

The latest incident is being investigated, and appropriate action from relevant authorities is still awaited. Last month, India’s civil aviation ministry proposed police action against those who flash a laser light on an aircraft from the surrounding areas of any Indian airport.

The ministry sought amendments to Aircraft Rules, 1937, proposing that if the person using the laser light is identified, they will be first served a notice by a Central government official. If the lights are not turned off even after 24 hours of the receipt of the notice, appropriate action will be taken against the individual under Indian law.

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The kite in the latest incident was reportedly being flown around the BT College ground in New Barrackpore close to the airport. Hopefully, the authorities will take notice and come up with appropriate guidelines to prevent this from happening again.

What are your views on this? Have you ever seen anyone flying a kite on a flight path? Please leave a comment below.

Source: The Times of India