Indian Plane Hits Buffalo And Killed The Animal

Just seconds before take-off from Surat on Thursday evening, an Indian SpiceJet plane with 140 passengers on board thudded to a stop, it had hit a stray buffalo that had strolled on to the runway through a gap in the airport’s boundary wall.

The collision killed the buffalo and caused potentially multi-million dollar damage to the Boeing 737 aircraft.

“A stray buffalo hit one of our aircraft, flight SG-622 from Surat to New Delhi, carrying 140 passengers and six crew, on take-off roll at Surat airport. The buffalo was essentially invisible against a dark background,” airline spokesperson said.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has ordered separate inquiries by the Director General of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India.

This is how the plane damage looked like:

Having suffered damages in aircraft, Spicejet suspends flight operation at Surat airport http://t.co/KNRi3cCtbV pic.twitter.com/cKbTeZtWkQ

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) November 7, 2014

Here is a TV report via NDTV Youtube Channel: