{"id":193,"date":"2026-04-21T04:53:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T04:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianaviationnews.net\/decisionheight\/?p=193"},"modified":"2026-04-21T04:56:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T04:56:04","slug":"from-routine-diversion-to-mid-air-horror-how-ignorance-distorts-aviation-reporting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianaviationnews.net\/decisionheight\/2026\/04\/21\/from-routine-diversion-to-mid-air-horror-how-ignorance-distorts-aviation-reporting\/","title":{"rendered":"From routine diversion to \u2018Mid-Air Horror\u2019: How ignorance distorts aviation reporting"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jacob K Philip<\/p>\n

NDTV on Monday published a textbook case of how sensationalism\u2014and a lack of basic aviation understanding\u2014can distort a routine incident into a dramatic narrative.<\/p>\n

This was the headline:<\/p>\n

\u201c4 Hours of Mid-Air Horror: Flyers Seen Praying, Crying on Fly91 Flight.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The introduction followed suit:<\/p>\n

Her hands joined in prayer, she sobs quietly at first. Then it escalates\u2014tears streaming, body shaking\u2014as she mutters a prayer. The video, the report says, captures the \u2018horror\u2019 of a Fly91 flight in bad weather, with passengers in panic for nearly four hours.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It doesn\u2019t stop there\u2014<\/p>\n

Cries of “Oh my God”, punctuated with wails, could be heard on repeat in the shaky video that has emerged.<\/p>\n

“Oh s**t…Why is he doing like this,” a man could be heard shouting, the voice relaying the panic and urgency.<\/p>\n

“Ro mat, ro mat, kuch nahi hota, ruko (Don’t cry, don’t cry-it’s nothing. Wait),” another voice is heard saying on the video.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"VT-FID\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After building up such intense drama in the opening paragraphs, when readers continue down eagerly, this is what they would find:<\/p>\n

Fly91 flight IC3401, a small regional airline service, took off from Hyderabad at 3:10 PM Sunday, April 19, heading to Hubli in Karnataka. As usual, it reached over Hubli around 4:15 PM. Due to bad weather, the aircraft held at 4,000\u20137,000 feet for some time. When the weather didn\u2019t improve, the decision was made to divert to Bengaluru. The flight proceeded there around 5:45 PM and landed at 6:45 PM. Later, after weather conditions improved, it departed again around 7:30 PM and finally landed at Hubli at 9:19 PM, disembarking passengers safely.<\/p>\n

This routine event\u2014something that happens countless times every year in India during monsoons\u2014was portrayed as a terrifying aerial ordeal, based mainly on the panic of one distressed passenger. The reporter who did this deserves mention; the editor who added such a headline deserves even more.<\/p>\n

The story<\/a> also includes snippets of passenger conversations:<\/p>\n

“Ask the pilot to go to Bengaluru. Or we can go to Belgaum at least,” a passenger could be heard saying.<\/p>\n

“Yes. It is nearby,” another passenger agreed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Amid all this unsolicited advice and arguments, the pilot did make an announcement (to be fair, it was included in the report):<\/p>\n

“We are holding. We will keep you updated. Have patience, kindly follow instructions.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Meanwhile, on the ground, family members of passengers were expressing anger at the airline. The report mentions allegations of poor communication, negligence, and lack of care.<\/p>\n

And the airline had said this in a statement:<\/p>\n

“The flight IC3401 flying from Hyderabad to Hubballi did not develop any technical snag as is being reported in some sections of the media. The flight departed from Hyderabad at 1500 hours. On nearing Hubballi, the flight encountered bad weather due to which the flight was diverted to Bengaluru as per standard protocol. The flight subsequently returned to Hubballi and back to its home base in Hyderabad.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Turning an ordinary weather diversion into a sensational news could be partly due to preconceived notions too-<\/p>\n

Fly91 operates the ATR-72-600, a small turboprop aircraft with a maximum capacity of about 78 passengers. Some people may feel uneasy seeing such a small aircraft. And some others may feel like getting bigger, on finding themsleves in a small aircraft, so that they can even tell the pilots how to fly the plane.<\/p>\n

In reality, the holding time between 4:15 PM and 5:45 PM over Hubli and nearby areas could have been an opportunity for passengers to enjoy the view. At 4,000\u20137,000 feet, one can clearly see rivers, hills, towns, houses, and even vehicles on roads below.<\/p>\n

But how can anyone look outside with all the crying and wailing in the cabin?<\/p>\n

Now, why did the pilots decide not to land at Hubli?<\/p>\n

The real culprit was cumulonimbus (CB) clouds\u2014dangerous storm clouds\u2014present over Hubli at that time.<\/p>\n

At 4 PM, rain clouds were already forming at about 1,500 feet. With a temperature of 35\u00b0C, such clouds can rapidly become hazardous. By 4:30 PM, thunderclouds and cumulonimbus formations intensified, descending to around 1,200 feet.<\/p>\n

\"Fly91<\/a><\/p>\n

By 5 PM, cloud build-up was increasing further. Interestingly, it wasn\u2019t raining yet, so passengers looking outside might not felt the weather was bad.<\/p>\n

Visibility was around 5,000 meters, but conditions could deteriorate suddenly\u2014rain could begin anytime, obscuring the runway completely.<\/p>\n

Wind direction could shift abruptly across or along the runway. Also, the presence of storm clouds at around 1,500 feet along the approach path is a serious hazard.<\/p>\n

In short, even though the conditions didn\u2019t visibly look severe, pilots correctly assessed that the weather could turn dangerous at any moment. That is why they chose not to land and eventually diverted to Bengaluru. And it indeed was a wise decision.<\/p>\n