NEW DELHI, July 18: Inadequate equipment and improper repairs by less qualified engineers are on the long list of shortcomings that have led to increasing instances of mechanical glitches in flights, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Monday.
The DGCA came to the conclusion after several spot checks and directed that all airlines now place senior certifying staff “at all base and transit stations” and ensure that the aircrafts are properly equipped. Over the last one week, at least four instances were reported in which planes had to be diverted or made unscheduled landings because of technical glitches.
These included an instance yesterday when an Indigo flight from Sharjah to Hyderabad had to make a precautionary landing in Pakistan’s Karachi after the pilot reported a technical defect in the aircraft. It was the second Indian aircraft to make an unscheduled landing in Karachi in a fortnight.
The DGCA said it had conducted several spot checks following concern over these incidents. These spot checks have revealed that airlines were improperly identifying the cause of an engineering defect. The airlines are also increasingly allowing aircraft to operate on an MEL or Minimum Equipment List – which means there was bare minimum working equipment on board.
Part of the reason, the DGCA indicated, was that the airlines were frequently authorising less qualified engineering staff to clear aircraft for operations. Key engineering crew to certify aircraft for flights were often unavailable, the DGCA has concluded.
The spot checks came as reports of technical glitches peaked over the last week. On July 11, a SpiceJet aircraft could not operate a return flight after a nose wheel snag and a recovery aircraft was sent to Dubai. The DGCA ordered a probe into the matter.
On July 14, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Vadodara was diverted to Jaipur as a precautionary measure after vibrations in the engine were detected. On July 16, an Air India Express aircraft from Calicut to Dubai was diverted to Muscat after a burning smell was detected from one of the vents in the forward galley of the flight.
(Manas Dasgupta)
