A mid-size business jet carrying eight passengers on a charter flight from Visakhapatnam crashed while attempting to land in a downpour at the Mumbai airport. On impact, the aircraft's fuselage split in half. There were no fatalities, however reports stated that both pilots suffered spinal injuries, while the passengers also suffered many fractures and bruises.
Among the passengers onboard the aircraft was Dhruv Kotak, MD of Mumbai-based conglomerate J M Baxi Ports & Logistics Ltd, Arul Sal, his executive assistant, K K Krishnadas, president and COO of J M Baxi, Aakarsh Shethi, and Lars Sorensen, MD of Hapag Lloyd India. The pilot-in-command was Sunil Bhat, while the first officer was Neil Diwan.
All eight injured passengers were sent to Criticare Hospital in Andheri (East), with the two pilots suffering the most serious wounds. Due to a spinal fracture, first officer Neil Diwan is now paraplegic. Director of Criticare Dr. Deepak Namjoshi advised emergency surgery because Diwan had no feeling in his legs.
Sunil Bhat, the pilot in command, endured a lumbar spine injury and forehead abrasions but did not sustain neurological damage, doctors said. Namjoshi added the sole crew member, Kamakshi, and the other passengers suffered fractures and soft tissue injuries, but said most of them were hemodynamically stable.
Flight operations at Mumbai airport were halted for an hour and a half as a result of the damaged aircraft being stuck off the main runway. A source reported that a total of 39 arriving flights were redirected.