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Contact photographer Frank-Thomas Klütsch

What: Air India Avion de Transport Regional ATR-42-300 en route from Silchar to Guwahati
Where: Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoli International Airport in Guwahati
When: Jun 10th 2012
Who: 48 passengers, 4 crew
Why: On takeoff from Silchar, the (left) nose wheel detached.

The crew was en route when the pilot received a message that one of the plane’s nosewheels had been found on the Silchar runway by someone at ATC.

There were five wheels remaining on the plane-one remaining nosewheel, and two pairs of main wheels.

Passengers were alarmed when the crew removed heavy items from the cockpit to shift the center of gravity further back in the plane, and when landing, keep the nose up as long as possible.

The pilot, Captain Urmila Yadav performed a flyby for visual confirmation, circled to burn off fuel and made a safe landing. She and co-pilot Yashu were later commended for her skill by the DGCA. Yadav has 4,000 hours in the cockpit.

Emergency crews were on standby during the landing.

An inquiry into the emergency has been initiated.

In George’s Point of View

Whoever found that fallen nosewheel left on the runway should also be commended. Without that crucial information, the outcome of this incident may have been different.

And while there are many pilots who consider this a “routine” emergency, and the fact that the 4,000 hr pilot is a woman is irrelevant because as long as she is in the Captain seat, she is a pilot first, we do believe in recognition for a job well-done. Good job, Captain Urmila Yadav. Maybe the good captain agrees with us that someone should give maintenance a slap on the wrist.