In an error of judgment that could have resulted in a major catastrophe, the pilot of an Indigo Airlines flight reportedly almost landed the plane on a road in Jaipur, after mistaking it for the runway. The Ahmedabad-Jaipur flight 6E-237 was just minutes from touching down at the Jaipur airport , when alarms went off in the cockpit, prompting pilots to pull up when the aircraft was just 900 feet from the ground, reports the Hindustan Times. The report also quoted an official as saying that the pilots mistook the road for the runway because it was parallel to it. Both pilots have been grounded by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which has ordered a probe into the incident that took place on February 27, The Wall Street Journal.

Installed in an aircraft, Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) provides a timely warning to the flight crew when the aeroplane is in potentially hazardous proximity to the earth's surface.

In an official statement to the Hindustan Times, Indigo Airlines said that the pilot had carried out a go-around and then landed on the designated runway.

The airline said that the safety of the passengers had never been compromised but said that both pilots had been taken off active flying duty after the incident.

This incident is one among several incidents which have raised questions over the security of passengers.

In March, a tyre-burst during an Air India flight landing, forced an emergency evacuation of passengers and in December last year, an Air India technician died after getting sucked into the engine.