GG News Bureau
Parbhani, 14th June: As the nation reels from the devastating Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad, a resident of Parbhani, Maharashtra, has shared a poignant recollection of his own miraculous survival in another aircraft accident 32 years ago, which claimed 55 lives.
Vasant Chavan, a former mayor of Parbhani, told a news channel on Friday that he survived the April 26, 1993, Indian Airlines crash only because he was seated near the cockpit, away from the rear section where the fuel tank was located.
He was on board the ill-fated Indian Airlines Flight 491, which departed from Chikalthana airport in Aurangabad district (now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) en route to Mumbai. The aircraft’s landing gear struck a truck on the road at the end of the runway during takeoff. It then flew into high-tension power lines before crash-landing in a field, breaking into three pieces and catching fire. Of the 112 passengers on board, 55 tragically died.
“Congress MLA Ramprasad Bordikar and I were going to Mumbai for Sharad Pawar’s programme. We were unsure about whether we would get air tickets,” Chavan recounted to the news channel. “But a family from Parbhani cancelled their tickets, and so we were accommodated. I was lucky to be sitting close to the cockpit.”
Chavan detailed the moments leading to the crash: “The aircraft did not gain the speed required for the take-off, and its rear landing gear dashed against a truck outside the airport. The pilot somehow managed to land at a farm in the Varud Shivar area.”
“Bordikar and I had been offered seats in the rear, but we preferred to sit near the cockpit,” he added, reflecting on the twist of fate. “We could escape, but those in the rear section were charred to death in the fire.” His chilling testimony serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of air travel tragedies.
