Cessna aircraft crash lands in Mizoram, 9 injured

A Cessna Caravan aircraft, belonging to the North East Shuttle Service, crash landed at Lengpui airport in Aizwal Wednesday morning after overshooting the runway, injuring nine persons who were on board.

Aizawl district Superintendent of police Lalbiakthanga Khiangte, who visited the site of the crash, said that the nine-seater aircraft overshot the runway, apparently due to strong wind and drizzle and fell into a brook after hitting the Instrumental Landing System.

He said that the injured, including a minor, have been given medical treatment and their condition has been stated to be stable. While the Airport Authority of India officials were

tightlipped about the visibility condition at the airport, unofficial sources said that the visibility was lower than the prescribed norms for landing of a small aircraft.

Khiangte said that though visibility was stated to be around 2,000 metres, 500 below the permitted norm, the pilot claimed that permission was taken under the Special Visibility Flight rules and attempted visual landing.

The North East Shuttle conducted United States-made Cessna Caravan 'air taxi' service from Lengpui airport and usually fly between Lengpui and Kolkata and the capitals of  Northeastern states including Agartala, Guwahati, Imphal and Silchar.

Khiangte said that further inquiry has been conducted to find out the cause of the crash.