Pilots grounded after Rajasthan CM's aircraft mistakenly lands at Phalodi Civil airstrip, DGCA to conduct probe

Time of India

2 days ago

On 31 July, a
Dassault Falcon 2000
charter aircraft carrying Rajasthan Chief Minister
Bhajan Lal Sharma
from Delhi mistakenly landed at a civil airstrip in Phalodi, instead of the
Indian Air Force
(IAF) station designated as the scheduled landing point.
The jet touched down at the civil facility around 3 pm, but the pilots quickly realised their error. They took off again and landed the aircraft safely at the IAF base, located roughly 5 kilometres away. The Chief Minister disembarked as planned and, after a brief stay, continued on to Jaipur later that evening. The aircraft returned to Delhi the same night.
'The CM flew from Delhi to Phalodi on July 31 at 3 pm. The aircraft landed at the civil airstrip in Phalodi. The pilots immediately took off from the wrong airstrip and then landed at the Phalodi IAF station, which was the scheduled airport for it and about 5 km away from the former. The CM alighted there and a couple of hours later flew the aircraft to Jaipur. The Falcon 2000 then flew back to Delhi the same night,' an official told the Times of India.
Investigation ordered, pilots grounded
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a formal probe into the incident. Both pilots have been taken off flying duty while the investigation is underway. The operator of the aircraft submitted a voluntary report to the aviation regulator shortly after the
mislanding
.
According to officials quoted in the Times of India, the crew may have failed to distinguish between two nearly identical runways. 'Both the runways have similar orientation and visual characteristics. The flight crew misidentified the intended runway during approach. Seemingly there was inadequate pre-flight briefing about the presence of two airfields in close vicinity. Pilots must get proper pre-flight briefing and that is something operators need to work on to ensure such things don't happen,' a source told the paper.
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Shared geography, close confusion
The
civil and military airstrips
in Phalodi are located just 5 kilometres apart. Their physical alignment, runway layout, and surrounding terrain are notably similar. This makes precise visual identification difficult unless pilots are well-briefed before approach.
The Falcon 2000, a French-built business jet that can carry 8 to 10 passengers, was operating well within its range and flight plan. But the unplanned landing has raised a fresh set of questions around operational oversight and situational awareness.
Had the roles been reversed — with an aircraft accidentally entering restricted military airspace instead — the outcome could have been far more serious. As one official explained, 'The civil airstrip may not support the aircraft's weight category, compromising landing safety. Also, military-civil coordination may be lacking during such mis-landings, increasing response time for corrective action.'
Phalodi is not just a stop on the map. Known as the "Salt City" for its proximity to the salt-producing region of Rin, it lies in the buffer zone of the Thar Desert and is strategically located near Bikaner, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. It's home to both civilian and military aviation infrastructure, making coordination between both critical.
The incident highlights a need for clearer communication between flight operators and regulatory bodies, especially when operating near sensitive zones or regions with overlapping facilities.
For now, the pilots are grounded, the DGCA is reviewing the chain of events, and the charter company will likely face closer scrutiny. As the probe continues, aviation experts say the case underscores a broader issue in domestic charter operations: the need for sharper planning, clearer protocols, and more consistent pilot briefing.