NEW DELHI, Sept 7: A Jeddah-bound Malaysia Airlines flight was on Monday diverted to Chennai following a technical snag involving its engine. Malaysia Airlines MH 156 with 186 persons on board landed safely and appropriate emergency response arrangements were activated in the airport here, said an official.
There was a technical issue “involving Engine No. 2. Further assessment of the aircraft and the technical issue is being carried out by the airline and relevant technical teams,” the spokesperson said.
In a similar incident, an Air India Express Boeing 737 operating from Cochin to Abu Dhabi was also forced to turn back to Kochi after the crew detected a rapid drop in the oil quantity of Engine 1 during the flight. The aircraft was around 50 minutes into its journey and cruising at an altitude of 36,000 feet when the pilots noticed that the engine oil quantity was falling rapidly.
The crew responded to the situation and carried out a FORDEC assessment, a structured decision-making process used by flight crews to evaluate developing situations and determine the safest course of action.
As the oil quantity in Engine 1 continued to decrease, the crew decided not to continue towards Abu Dhabi and instead initiated the return to Cochin International Airport.
The situation subsequently escalated when the engine oil pressure entered the danger zone. The crew then shut down Engine 1 as a precautionary measure before continuing the return flight. Despite the engine-related issue, the Boeing 737 landed safely at Cochin International Airport.
An IndiGo flight met with an accident after it collided with a parking pole on Friday while landing at the Srinagar International Airport, said officials. The flight 6E 225 (VT-NOG) was operating from Navi Mumbai to Srinagar. According to officials, the incident happened around 9.02 am when the flight was being positioned at Bay No. 06 of the airport. They said the flight collided with a Visual Docking Guidance System (VDGS) pole after which a probe was ordered.
In a statement, airport authorities said all crew members and passengers were safe, and no injuries have been reported. They said the passengers and crew members were deboarded safely with the help of manual aircraft stairs. They also said a detailed inquiry as per the prescribed procedures had been ordered to examine what caused the incident. “The exact cause will be ascertained following the completion of the inquiry, and no conclusion regarding the cause is being drawn at this stage,” authorities said.
(Manas Dasgupta)