New Delhi: Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday said the crew of an IndiGo flight from the national capital to Srinagar on Wednesday had sought permission to enter the Pakistan airspace to avoid turbulence, but the request was rejected.
In a detailed statement about the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said there was no injury to any passengers who were on the flight and that the aircraft’s “nose radome” was damaged.
The incident of the aircraft encountering turbulence is being probed by the DGCA.
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.
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.
“…During this period, the aircraft’s rate of descent reached 8500 fpm. Crew flew the aircraft manually till they exited the hailstorm,” the regulator said.
After completing all checklist actions, the crew declared PAN PAN to Srinagar ATC and requested 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.
