Monica Khanna is a 737 Pilot at Spicejet Limited she has been part of the airline since 2018. According to her social media profile, she loves to travel and is deeply interested in the latest fashion and trends. Her actions on the Patna-Delhi spice jet flight were the decisive factor in saving of 185 souls aboard. Along with first officer Balpreet Singh Bhatia, she was flying the 737 from Patna, bound for Delhi when a bird hit one of the 737’s engines and it caught on fire forcing the plane to head back to Patna airport.

Also Read: How SpiceJet pilots averted a tragedy after a bird strike

After being made aware of the fire by crew Captain Monica Khanna decided to shut down the plane’s left engine immediately. The aircraft had to make one round as per the standards. The aircraft was flown back to the airport safely with only a single engine functioning on 737. All passengers were safely evacuated and there has been no report of any injury, officials said.

Also Read: Russia, China’s action raises concerns for Japan: Here’s why

“As is the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in such events, the pilots announce a “pan-pan”, which is telling the world something is not okay, and run through a checklist. And step by step, you shut down the suspect engine and then you land ASAP (As Soon As Practical) at the nearest airport,” Arora told NDTV in an interview.

“Captain Monika Khanna and first officer Balpreet Singh Bhatia conducted themselves well during the incident. They were calm throughout and handled the aircraft well. They are experienced officers and we’re proud of them,” ANI quoted Gurcharan Arora, SpiceJet chief of flight operations, as saying.

Also Read: Watch| Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight lands safely in Patna, smoke visible

Eyewitnesses said that the fire in the plane’s engine had been extinguished by the time it was approaching the runway. After the safe landing, the representatives of the airlines and airport officials welcomed Captain Monica with applauses.