IndiGo asked to submit report on hailstorm incident that damaged aircraft during Delhi-Srinagar flight
NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday asked IndiGo Airlines to submit a report on the hailstorm incident involving the Delhi-Srinagar flight 6E 2142 on Wednesday evening. The 227 passengers on board had a narrow escape after the flight encountered the hailstorm midway.
When asked if any probe has been ordered into the incident, the Director of DGCA, Faiz Ahmed, told this reporter, 'We have asked IndiGo to submit a report on the incident. A decision on ordering an inquiry will be taken after finding out what the airline has to say about it.'
The incident had traumatized the passengers, many of whom felt they would not survive the nightmare that they endured with the flight moving up and down and lightning all around them.
Former pilots and aviation safety experts refused to accept that the pilots did something remarkable in saving the lives of the passengers in an emergency. The common view was that there was no need to have got entangled in such a situation first.
Captain C S Randhawa, President of the Federation of Indian Pilots, told this reporter, 'The weather in an approaching area is picked up very much in advance by two weather radars which are superimposed on the navigation display. There is a red area which is displayed to caution the cockpit crew. It can never happen that both radars fail simultaneously. This gives the pilot a chance to divert the flight well in advance in order to avoid something in the route by connecting with the ATC and taking their guidance too.' The pilot can opt for a diversion at 80 miles or even 60 miles before the spot where there is an issue, he added.
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