On the morning of Feb. 9, an AllianceAir plane carrying 70 people was flying from Mumbai to Gujarat when its hood fell off and was running

On the morning of Feb. 9, an Alliance Air plane carrying 70 people was flying from Mumbai to Gujarat when its hood dropped on the runway during takeoff. The ATR 72-600 aircraft has been flying safely for 4 years and the Indian aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority of India (DGCA), is investigating the cause of the accident.

Officials said the hood (fairing) of the plane came off when it took off. The Air Traffic Control, which was monitoring the plane's take-off at the time, sounded an alarm and found the part on the runway.

Sources at India's Civil Aviation Authority said the loss of the hood was unlikely to have a major impact on the plane, which would continue to fly to its destination. Sources said there was a possible "slight deterioration of performance" in the aircraft and "engine components exposed to airflow may have been affected".

There were a total of 70 people on board, including 4 crew members and 1 aircraft maintenance engineer.

Mumbai airport officials said: "The ATR72-600 aircraft VT RKJ, which is worth flight 9I-625 (Mumbai-Boojie), had an accident and an engine cover was found on the runway of Mumbai airport. The Indian Alliance Airlines flight, which took off from Mumbai to Bhuj, took off without a hood."

Captain Amit Singh, an aviation specialist, blamed the accident on poor maintenance efforts, saying: "If the locks are not locked, there will be a hood drop accident, usually after the aircraft is under maintenance." The crew should also check that the hood is in place before take-off."

At 6:30 a.m., as the plane took off, the fairing fell off. An official at Mumbai Airport said: "The Mumbai Air Traffic Control Centre reported that the hood was found on the side of the runway after take-off. It may have been Mumbai's ATR aircraft VT-RKJ, which was on duty at the time for flights 91-625 (Mumbai-Boujie), which is still flying".