Alliance Air was scheduled to fly from Mumbai to Bhuj.
An Alliance Air flight with 70 on board took off this morning from Mumbai and flew to Gujarat without its engine cover, which fell off on the runway.
The Alliance Air ATR 72-600 aircraft landed safely in Bhuj, but the aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is investigating how it happened.
Officials said the engine cover or cowling fell off the aircraft as it took off. The Air Traffic Control, which was monitoring the take-off, sounded an alert and the part was found on the runway.
Sources in the DGCA have told NDTV that the loss of the engine cowling (cover) was unlikely to have had a major impact on the aircraft which continued to fly to its destination. There could have been a ''marginal aircraft performance deterioration'', sources said, and ''engine components exposed to airflow may be impacted.''
They added that ''in the present case, the aircraft has landed safely at its destination.''
The 70 people on the flight included four crew members and one aircraft maintenance engineer.
"The ATR72-600 aircraft VT RKJ, operating flight 9I-625 ( Mumbai-Bhuj), was involved in an incident where the engine cowl separated and was recovered on the runway at Mumbai. The Alliance Air flight was from Mumbai to Bhuj, and took off without an engine cover," said a Mumbai airport official quoted by news agency ANI.
Officials said poor maintenance could be behind the incident. "Incidents of cowl separation usually occur post maintenance activity if latches are not secured. The crew is also expected to ensure that the engine cowl is sited before commencing the flight," ANI quoted aviation expert, Captain Amit Singh, as saying.
