By IANS
New Delhi/Lucknow : An Air India aircraft Thursday hit a neelgai or Indian blue bull while landing at the air force base in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, officials said. No person was injured in the accident.
According to an airline spokesman, an ATR-42 aircraft from Delhi to Kanpur hit the animal while landing at the Chakeri base of the air force. It is also used for civilian operations.
The incident took place around noon near one end of the runway when the animal was trying to cross it, the airline official said. It died after it was hit by the aircraft. The aircraft suffered minor damage to its nose wheel, said the spokesman.
The official claimed the aircraft reached the hangar on its own and no one was injured.
A team of officials from New Delhi rushed to Kanpur to assess the damage to the aircraft.
In the past, neelgais used to stray on the runway at Delhi airport and disrupted flights. According to Airports Authority of India officials, over 60 neelgais were relocated from near the Delhi airport to make way for the new terminal III and a new runway last year.
Large enclosures have been built to restrict movement of the animals around New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.