Manmohan's plane nearly crashed during Moscow landing

Air India One is the call sign of any aircraft with the Prime Minister or President of India on board HIGHLIGHTS On November 11, 2007, Air India One flying the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ran into trouble while landing at Moscow The Boeing 747 did not lower its landing gear as required when it was approaching to land The crew did so only after being alerted by the Moscow ATC and warning signs in the cockpit NEW DELHI: Sources told TOI that on November 11, 2007, Air India One flying the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on an official visit to Russia did not lower its landing gear as required when it was approaching to land in Moscow. The crew of the Boeing 747 did so only after being told by the Moscow ATC that the aircraft wheels were not down and warning lights in the cockpit. The flight's data recorder (FDR) — which preserves recent history of a flight through the recording of dozens of parameters collected several times per second) —show that the VVIP aircraft flew below the 'electronic glide slope' for a while before corrective action was taken. The electronic glide slope is the flight path a descending aircraft has to follow to ensure it gently touches down on the runway. Despite repeated attempts, AI did not respond. TOI spoke to many pilots to understand if safety procedures were breached on that VVIP flight. "What is perplexing is that according to the FDR data of this flight, the aircraft descended to a rather low height before corrective action was taken. Simultaneously, the ATC warned the aircraft that its landing gear is not down and alarm bell sounded in cockpit," said a senior commander who trains and examines junior pilots

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