53-yr-old air hostess falls off parked Air India plane at Mumbai airport, hospitalised
Harsha Lobo was closing the door for the pushback prior to taxing when she slipped and fell from the Boeing 777 aircraft (Representational Image)
A senior crew member of Air India was severely injured after she fell from a parked plane at Mumbai airport on Monday morning, shortly before it was to leave for New Delhi.
The incident occurred at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) when the Mumbai-Delhi flight AI-864 was preparing for departure before 7 am.
The 53-year-old air-hostess, identified as Harsha Lobo, was closing the door for the pushback prior to taxing when she slipped and fell from the Boeing 777 aircraft onto the hard tarmac. The aircraft’s door is located roughly 30 feet from the ground.
Some ground crew members immediately rushed Lobo to the Nanavati Hospital. She underwent a CT scan at the hospital, which showed a fracture on her right leg.
The national carrier later said that she had suffered injuries to her legs and termed the incident as ‘unfortunate’.
“In an unfortunate incident, one of our cabin crew (members) Harsha Lobo, fell down on the tarmac from the Boeing 777 aircraft door while closing it,” the airline statement said.
The flight eventually departed for Delhi at 8:30 am and landed at 10:09 am.
The incident comes three days after a Dubai-bound Air India Express flight hit a compound wall at Trichy international airport while taking off, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing at Mumbai airport.
Fortunately, all 136 people on board the flight were safe. The passengers were later flown to Dubai in another flight and the pilots were taken off the roster.
