BHUBANESHWAR: A mid-air electrocution of four passengers and two crew members of an IndiaOne Air plane that force-landed in Odisha’s Rourkela Saturday after engine failure was a big possibility as it had scraped a high-tension wire with exposed landing gear, officials said. The Cessna’s tyres absorbed the shock, preventing it from catching fire and saving the lives. Instead of the fuselage or wing hitting the power lines, the tyres touched the wire just before the nine-seater plane from Bhubaneswar landed in a field around 10km from Rourkela airport, asenior official revealed. All six on board the single-engine Cessna Caravan aircraft, including the two captains, escaped with injuries. Two of the passengers being treated at a Rourkela hospital were airlifted to Mumbai Sunday as officials of DGCA and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) began a probe. Officials of AAIB and others, accompanied by Odisha transport secretary Usha Padhee, were at the site Sunday, taking pictures and videos of the plane, parts and debris, and speaking to villagers who had rushed to help. CM Mohan Charan Majhi has extended support to the investigators. The airline, which focuses on connecting Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, said it is working with the aviation regulators and the Odisha govt.
