Panic erupted mid-air as Indigo 6E2142 flew into a violent hailstorm, damaging the aircraft’s nose

Terror gripped more than 200 passengers aboard an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar on Wednesday evening when the aircraft was violently shaken by a hailstorm mid-flight, triggering screams, panic, and visible structural damage to the plane’s nose.

Flight 6E2142, carrying 227 passengers, took off from Delhi as scheduled but soon ran into intense storm conditions that caught both crew and passengers off guard. A now-viral video from inside the aircraft captures chaotic scenes: passengers crying, children screaming, and bright flashes of lightning illuminating the cabin as the plane shuddered.

According to flight officials, the pilot declared an emergency with Air Traffic Control in Srinagar due to the turbulence. The aircraft managed to land safely at 6.30 pm, but not before giving its passengers a deeply traumatic experience.

One of them, Sheikh Samiullah, posted a video shortly after the incident: “I had a narrow escape while flying from Delhi to Srinagar… Hats off to the captain for the safe landing,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

In a statement, IndiGo confirmed the incident: “Flight 6E 2142 operating from Delhi to Srinagar encountered a sudden hailstorm en route. The flight and cabin crew followed established protocol, and the aircraft landed safely in Srinagar. The airport team attended to the customers after the arrival of the aircraft, prioritising their wellbeing and comfort.”

The airline refrained from confirming the extent of the aircraft’s damage, but a widely shared photo online showed a portion of the aircraft’s nose visibly broken. NDTV verified the authenticity of the image, suggesting the nosecone suffered a significant impact during the storm.

This dramatic mid-air episode coincided with extreme weather in Delhi-NCR, where a powerful hailstorm lashed the region. Winds peaked at 79 kmph, felling trees, damaging structures and throwing city infrastructure into disarray. The Nehru Vihar Bridge in Delhi was also reportedly damaged.

Between 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 12.2 mm of rainfall at Safdarjung. The sudden downpour led to severe waterlogging and long traffic snarls across the capital.

Metro services were disrupted, particularly on the Yellow Line, where passengers were stranded for extended periods. Meanwhile, airlines issued advisories warning of potential delays and cancellations as storm activity persisted through the evening.

Neighbouring Noida was also hit hard. Gusty winds shattered windows and damaged hoardings, compounding the region’s weather chaos.

According to the IMD, the sudden storm was triggered by a cyclonic circulation hovering over Haryana and adjoining areas. This system, embedded in an east-west trough stretching from Punjab to Bangladesh, was heavily fed by moisture from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

The storm struck just hours after Delhi endured suffocating weather conditions, with the heat index — or “feels like” temperature — touching a blistering 50.2°C. The day’s maximum temperature reached 40.7°C, 0.5 degrees above normal, as humidity levels swung between 64 and 34 per cent.

As the battered aircraft undergoes inspection and maintenance, passengers are still recovering from what some described as a “near-death experience.” Trinamool Congress MPs were reportedly among those on board and later shared their account of the storm’s fury.

For those 227 passengers, a routine domestic flight turned into an ordeal they’re unlikely to forget — a chilling reminder of how swiftly nature can upend modern air travel.