MUMBAI: Preliminary investigations into Saturday's landing goof-up involving an Indigo flight from Chandigarh have revealed that the aircraft lost control twice before the pilot brought it under control.
The commander and the co-pilot of flight 6E 433 were de-rostered on Sunday pending a probe by the Directorate general of Civil Aviation (DGCA) into the incident.
The flight, with 140 passengers on board, deviated from the center-line of the runway and went left towards the shoulder, breaking five lights in the process. It then went further up to the unpaved area.
The pilot reportedly tried to steer the aircraft back to the runway and brought it back till the shoulder, but it veered off again towards the unpaved patch. It was only in the second attempt that the plane was brought back on the runway.
The Airbus A-320 landed at Mumbai airport at 6.35pm and went-off the 60-feet wide runway into the unpaved patch. It came back to the runway towards the taxiway without notifying the air traffic control. The incident was discovered eight minutes later when a Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd staffer spotted the five damaged runway lights.
On Sunday, a preliminary draft was made and the pilots were summoned for a statement, said director general of civil aviation Arun Mishra.
An Indigo spokesperson said that a gust of wind caused the incident. However, a DGCA official said that "the pilot seems to have lost control due to a technical glitch because of which the aircraft didn't turn towards the designated taxiway".
The DGCA will be taking the wind pressure reading from the meteorological department to verify the airline's contention and submit a total assessment report on Monday.
The primary findings by DGCA officials also show that while the aircraft was to vacate the main runway by a taxiway on the right side, it went off in the opposite direction. It first went left and broke one light on the runway's edge. While attempting to get back on the runway from the unpaved patch, it broke three more lights and went back towards the patch. In the second attempt, the aircraft damaged one more light.
"Eventually, the aircraft vacated through a taxiway which is about 300 m from the one it was originally supposed to take," said a DGCA officer. The aircraft speed at that moment was around 60-80 knots, which is usual while landing.
Officials said that not informing the air traffic control and apron control about the incident was another grave error. "The lights were broken and there were shards of glass on the runway. In such a situation, it isn't safe for other aircraft landing later. The runway has to be clear of metal and glass," said an airport official. "Fortunately, the incident was detected in 10 minutes before more flights started coming in."
Airport officials said the airline also changed the tire of the aircraft without telling the apron control. "The tire is replaced only if it is not working and it has to be notified as per rules," said an official.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
‘Confusion over controls may have delayed rescue’
The pilots of the Indigo Airlines aircraft that veered to the left of the runway on Saturday were caught up in a brief moment of confusion over manning cockpit controls, found the aviation regulator’s primary probe.
Investigators found that the confusion could have delayed the rescue. The pilots told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is investigating the incident, that the co-pilot mouthed commands used when the senior pilot is incapacitated. Soon after touchdown, the co-pilot said, “I have the controls”, after which the commander said the same words. However, the co-pilot then repeated the command. “The statement reflected a moment of panic and lapse in co-ordination in the cockpit,” said a source requesting anonymity.
The aircraft failed to land on the center of the runway owing to incorrect ‘rudder’ input. A rudder is a steering tool crucial to maintain a flight’s alignment.
The error could be because the crew overreacted to a negligible wind blowing across the runway. Investigators also found a fault in the rescue effort to bring the aircraft back to the middle of the airstrip. According to the debriefing report submitted by the crew, the commander used a ‘tiller’ to control the deviation.
A tiller is used to manoeuvre aircraft taxiing at low speed on ground. As the aircraft was at a high speed, the tiller was less effective.
On Sunday, the airline grounded both the pilots pending the probe, while a team of DGCA officials interrogated them. The safety regulator is likely to submit a preliminary report on Monday.
An Indigo Airlines spokesperson refused to comment on the preliminary findings, saying that investigations were on.
The DGCA will also probe why the airline failed to report the incident. A report submitted by airport authorities showed there was a deliberate attempt to cover up the incident.
What was worse, however, was that an aircraft maintenance engineer who discreetly changed the aircraft tyres did not inform the airfield staff.
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