DAYA News Bureau, 20 August 2022: Pilot of the Durgapur bound SpiceJet flight from Mumbai on May 1 that encountered severe turbulence during descent resulting in injuries to a few passengers has been suspended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The license of the pilot-in-command (PIC) of the SpiceJet Boeing B737 aircraft has been suspended for 6 months after investigations reveal that he ignored onboard co-pilot’s input about the rough weather.
Immediately after the May 1st incident that left 15 people 12 passengers and three cabin crew members injured, DGCA deputed a team to investigate the matter at the behest of the Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
SpiceJet Boeing B737 aircraft operating flight SG-945 from Mumbai to Durgapur with 195 people on board (including two pilots and four cabin crew) took off from Mumbai at approximately 5.13 pm on 1st May this year. During the descent, the aircraft experienced severe turbulence and the vertical load factor varied widely, during this period the autopilot got disengaged for two minutes and the crew manually flew the aircraft, the DGCA said in its statement on May 2.
According to the information, the co-pilot of the Pilot-in-Command had already informed the Captain to evade the clouds based on parameters being revealed in the weather radar. However, the pilot ignored the warning, saying that the radar information was faulty.
As is customary, pilots are briefed about weather before departure and receive alerts from air traffic control and on-board weather radars.
A source said the aircraft involved in the incident had the older version of the weather radar that required pilots to manually adjust settings for updates, increasing their workload and risk factor as well. A new-generation weather radar, in contrast, automatically scans the airspace ahead for turbulent weather.
The pilot of SpiceJet aircraft is also reported to have told investigators that he deviated from the assigned route to avoid turbulence. In a statement, SpiceJet earlier said that the pilot saw turbulent weather patches well in time and did the required course correction to stay away from the weather he detected on the radar.
SpiceJet has been facing severe cash crunch for the past three years and has been sued by creditors in India and overseas, including its main maintenance agency SR Technics for failure to pay bills. Observers believe this may have led the airline to cut corners on maintenance and crew training.