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Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
DGCA grounds 2 IndiGo pilots of turbulent Delhi-Srinagar flight
India's aviation regulator grounded two pilots who operated an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar on Wednesday evening after it flew through severe hailstorm, officials said on Friday as new details emerged of their interaction with traffic controllers in Lahore and Srinagar amid what was a narrow escape for the 227 people on board. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revealed in a statement that the Airbus A321 Neo at one point plummeted at 8,500 feet per minute—more than four times the normal descent rate—as multiple flight control systems failed while trapped inside the storm, with pilots receiving simultaneous warnings of both stall (a condition in which an aircraft begins to lose altitude) and overspeed conditions as they fought to regain control. Details also emerged of how the pilots initiated contact with air traffic control in Pakistan after Indian controllers, bound by reciprocal airspace restrictions following recent military tensions, advised against deviating westwards but provided contact frequencies to coordinate directly with Lahore ATC, which denied the request despite the emergency. 'The matter is under investigation by the DGCA,' the regulator confirmed. 'As part of the investigations, the two pilots are grounded pending investigation,' a DGCA official said, asking not to be named. Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu acknowledged the gravity of the situation. 'We are looking into the incident, but in the meantime from the information that I have, I would like to appreciate the efforts of the pilots and the crew who have been very composed in the way they have handled even in that weather that the flight has gone through,' Naidu said. 'We are very thankful that no incident has happened and everyone is safe, but we are going to thoroughly investigate what has exactly happened,' he added. The incident, described by passengers as 'a near-death experience', unfolded on IndiGo flight 6E-2142, which departed Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at approximately 4:55pm and managed to land in Srinagar at 6:25pm, according to Flightradar24 tracking data. The crisis began when the aircraft 'entered a hailstorm and severe turbulence near Pathankot' whilst 'cruising at FL360' (36,000 feet), according to the regulator's statement. Recognising the danger ahead, the pilots 'requested northern control (under the Indian Air Force) for deviation towards left (the international border) due to weather on the route, however it was not approved.' Growing increasingly desperate as the storm approached, the 'crew contacted Lahore to enter into their airspace to avoid the weather but the same was refused,' the DGCA stated, confirming the aircraft was denied entry to Pakistani airspace despite the developing emergency. The denials were rooted in the ongoing NOTAM issued by both sides against aircraft registered in the other country. According to a person aware of the matter in the defence ministry, the IAF control's denial was an advisory based on the Pakistani NOTAM, in place since the cross-border military operations earlier this month. 'Northern area control advised the Indigo crew within the frame of the NOTAM… and immediately assisted in coordinating their route diversion by contacting Delhi area and passing the requisite contact frequencies of Lahore control for an overflight weather diversion request,' this person explained. However, Lahore control, according to the DGCA, did not allow overflight permission, leaving the crew with no viable escape route. The 'crew initially attempted to return back but as they were close to the thunderstorm cloud, they decided to penetrate the weather,' the regulator stated. What followed was a cacophony of alarms and alerts for the pilots. 'While in thunder storm cloud, warnings of angle of attack fault, alternate law protection lost, backup speed scale unreliable were triggered. Due to updraft and down draft encountered by the aircraft the autopilot tripped and aircraft speed had wide variations,' the DGCA stated. In other words, several of the aircraft's computerised systems failed one by one, forcing the pilots to fly manually through violent turbulence without reliable instruments or the normal protections that prevent a modern airliner from stalling or exceeding its structural limits. At the height of the crisis, 'the aircraft rate of descent reached 8500 fpm,' the DGCA stated. 'Crew flew the aircraft manually till they exit the hailstorm.' For context, aircraft normally descend at 1,500 to 2,000 feet per minute. After regaining control, the crew declared emergency. 'After carrying out all check list actions, crew declared PAN PAN to Srinagar ATC and requested for radar vectors and made a safe landing with auto thrust operating normally,' the report stated. PAN PAN is an international urgency signal indicating serious difficulty requiring assistance, one level below a MAYDAY distress call. The DGCA confirmed no passengers were injured, though 'post flight walk around revealed damage to the nose radome'—impact damage visible as holes in the aircraft's nose structure. Aviation experts, while praising the crew's ultimate recovery, questioned the decisions that led to the crisis. An Airports Authority of India official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that the direct pilot-to-Lahore contact was highly unusual and indicated desperation. 'Though the pilots did a fantastic job by landing safely even in such massive turbulence, they should have avoided the situation.' Weather conditions that day were particularly severe, according to meteorological experts. Mahesh Palawat, vice president of climate and meteorology at Skymet Weather, explained: 'Thunder clouds are huge, high clouds. Since that day a lot of thunderstorm activity impacted northwest India, it's likely that the plane had to pass through one such cloud. The weather was suddenly more intense.' He emphasised that 'passing through such areas of thunderclouds and storms can cause intense turbulence causing damage to equipment and passengers.'
Mint
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Mint
IndiGo flight with 'nose damage' from Delhi storm was denied entry into Pakistan airspace, DGCA clarifies
Pakistan turned down a request from a Srinagar-bound IndiGo flight, which was battered by severe turbulence on Wednesday evening, to enter its airspace, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed. The regulator has initiated a detailed investigation into the incident. The Airbus A321 Neo aircraft – carrying more than 220 people, including Trinamool Congress MPs – was cruising at 36,000 feet when it encountered extreme weather conditions. According to the DGCA, the crew had requested a deviation from their flight path due to an approaching storm, but this was denied by Northern Control, operated by the Indian Air Force. A subsequent attempt to enter Pakistani airspace by contacting Lahore ATC was also refused. Faced with rapidly deteriorating weather conditions and limited alternatives, the crew initially considered turning back but ultimately decided to fly through the storm to minimise exposure time. 'The aircraft experienced updraughts and downdraughts that caused the autopilot to disengage, leading to significant speed fluctuations,' the DGCA stated. 'Warnings for exceeding the maximum operating speed and repeated stall alerts were also triggered. At one point, the aircraft's rate of descent peaked at 8,500 feet per minute.' The pilots were forced to take manual control until the aircraft exited the turbulent zone. A PAN PAN emergency call was made to Srinagar ATC, after which the aircraft received radar vectors and landed safely. The auto-thrust system resumed normal operation prior to touchdown. Following the safe landing, a post-flight inspection revealed damage to the aircraft's nose radome, likely caused by hail impact.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
IndiGo flight's request to enter Pak airspace to avoid turbulence was rejected: DGCA
The aviation regulator- the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Friday said the crew of IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar on Wednesday had sought permission to enter the Pakistan airspace to avoid turbulence due to extreme weather conditions, but the request was rejected. 'The flight 6E 2142, operated by an Airbus A321 Neo and registered as VT IMD, was cruising at 36,000 feet when it encountered a violent storm near Pathankot. The aircraft was struck by hail and faced intense turbulence, causing major disruptions to its flight systems,' a statement issued by the DGCA read. The DGCA confirmed that the pilot declared PAN PAN to Srinagar air traffic control (ATC). Also Read:Turbulence on IndiGo's Delhi-Srinagar flight: DGCA begins probe In airline nomenclature, 'pan-pan' is a call for help that is less critical than a 'mayday' but still requires immediate attention and assistance from the authorities or other vessels/aircraft. 'The matter is under investigation by the DGCA,' the regulator stated. According to the airline crew statement, the DGCA clarified, they (the pilots) requested Northern control (under the IAF) for deviation towards left (International Border) due to weather on the route. '..however, it was not approved,' the regulator said. 'Later crew contacted Lahore to enter into their airspace to avoid the weather but the same was refused too,' the DGCA confirmed. To be sure, Srinagar air traffic control (ATC) is handled by the Indian Air Force (IAF). It stated that the pilots attempted to turn back as the storm approached rapidly and other options ran out. 'Crew initially attempted to return but as they were close to the thunderstorm cloud, they decided to penetrate the weather. Subsequently, they encountered hailstorm, and severe turbulence. Crew chose to continue at the same heading to exit the weather by the shortest route towards Srinagar,' DGCA said. Explaining the situation, the DGCA said, inside the storm, the aircraft faced dangerous updrafts and downdrafts (vertical movements of air), leading to a series of critical system failures. The regulator said that the aircraft's autopilot was disconnected, there were warnings for unreliable speed, stall conditions, and system protection losses were triggered. '.. During this period the aircraft rate of descent reached 8500 fpm. Crew flew the aircraft manually till they exited the hailstorm,' the regulator said. After completing all check list actions, the crew declared PAN PAN to Srinagar ATC and requested for RADAR vectors (asking to guide the aircraft using radar by giving specific directions to fly) and made a safe landing with Auto Thrust operating normally. 'There was no injury to any of the passengers on-board the flight. Post flight, walks around revealed damage to the nose of the aircraft', the regulator concluded in its statement.
