New Delhi, May 04, 2022: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is doing a full safety audit of the entire SpiceJet aircraft fleet following back-to-back incidents that have set alarm bells ringing.
This follows after SpiceJet flight SG 945 from Mumbai to Durgapur in West Bengal experienced major mid-air turbulence when it got caught in a storm while descending. A total of 15 people, including 12 passengers and three cabin crew members, were injured on the flight due to severe turbulence.
The DGCA immediately off-rostered the flight crew, the aircraft maintenance engineer who released the aircraft from Durgapur, and the in-charge of Maintenance Control Centre of SpiceJet, pending investigation.
The aircraft in question, a Boeing 737-800, was grounded at Kolkata too.
The investigation into the incident is now being conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
Following this, two more incidents involving SpiceJet flights were reported on Tuesday.
The first one involved flight SG 2871 from Mumbai to Kishangarh that had to abort take-off due to engine trouble.
A SpiceJet spokesperson said, “SpiceJet flight SG 2871 operating from Mumbai to Kishangarh dated 3rd May rejected take-off and returned back to bay due to a technical issue. Another aircraft was arranged to operate the flight which departed at 3:15 pm.”
The aircraft in question was a Bombardier Dash 8 - Q400.
In another incident, later in the day, SpiceJet flight SG 331 that took off from Chennai for Durgapur had to return back to Chennai, one hour after take-off due to engine in-flight shutdown, as per sources.
The aircraft in question was a Boeing 737 Max that had been cleared by DGCA to fly again last August, a little over two years after it had been grounded globally following two air accidents that claimed several lives.
Speaking about the incident, a SpiceJet spokesperson said, “SpiceJet flight SG-331 operating from Chennai to Durgapur on May 3 returned back to Chennai after take off due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed back safely.”
This is the second such incident of engine inflight shut down in a Boeing 737 Max in the last few months since the aircraft took to the skies again. The aircraft has now been grounded.
Speaking to India Today Television in the wake of these back-to-back incidents, DGCA chief Arun Kumar said, “Thorough safety audit for the entire fleet is being done. The deficiencies are being addressed. We expect things to improve shortly.”
In the case of the Chennai incident involving the Boeing 737 Max, Kumar said an investigation is being conducted along with Boeing.
“Engine related issues are complex and take time for redressal,” he added.
Meanwhile, concerns are being raised from many quarters. Rajya Sabha member of Parliament, Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday tweeted, “ Another engine issue, airline is the same. DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation are whiling away their time to take a call on the safety aspect of the aircrafts. Will only a tragedy wake them up to seek accountability?”
Courtesy: India Today