Pilots of the SpiceJet aircraft, which flew into a thunderstorm severely injuring 14 passengers three months ago, had raised questions about the reliability of the plane’s radar, a preliminary investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has found.
The investigation also found that SpiceJet’s maintenance control centre (MCC) was aware of the reliability issue of the radar.
A SpiceJet spokesperson denied there was any defect with the radar. “This information is wrong. The investigation report of the said case has been submitted to the regulator. No such findings of an unserviceable weather radar were deduced,” the spokesperson said.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying 195 passengers encountered severe turbulence due to the thunderstorm, on its way to Durgapur from Mumbai on May 1.
Investigation into the incident was handed over to the AAIB, as it was classified as an accident due to passengers sustaining serious injuries. Out of the 14 passengers and three cabin crew who sustained injuries, two had severe injuries to their spine and shoulder and had been admitted to ICU.
A preliminary report was submitted within 30 days of the incident to examine the scope of investigation and seek the necessary budget. Under AAIB rules, the final report should be submitted within 12 months of the incident.
A person aware of the process said the final report was being prepared following the AAIB rules, which include consultation with stakeholders including the airline, airports, the aircraft manufacturer and the Federal Aviation Administration since Boeing is a US company.
According to the preliminary investigation report, on April 30, pilots of the aircraft, VT-SLH, while operating from Delhi to Kolkata, found that the radar was not depicting the weather correctly. Following landing at Kolkata, the commander of the aircraft made an entry of the issue in the pilot defect report (PDR).
While an aircraft maintenance engineer stationed in Kolkata carried out an operational test of the radar and found it to be satisfactory, the crew of the aircraft during its next flight from Kolkata to Mumbai found the same problem with the weather radar. “The weather radar was not showing the intensity and extent of the actual weather. It was painting a very small picture of the weather which could be misleading. After landing at Mumbai, the flight crew made (an) entry in the PDR that while the weather radar was serviceable, it was not displaying weather (conditions) at all in air,” the draft report says.
A maintenance engineer in Mumbai informed the Maintenance Control Centre (MCC) about the snag. The engineer was told that they were aware about the reliability issue and that there was a shortage of high-cost spares like weather radar, according to the draft report.
As per instruction from the MCC, he then carried out an operational check and found the weather radar patterns satisfactory and informed the MCC to monitor the aircraft further, the report added.
The SpiceJet spokesperson said adequate funds were being allocated for proper maintenance of aircraft. “DGCA conducted a series of spot checks on all operating aircraft of SpiceJet from 9 to 13th July 2022 which did not find any major significant finding or safety violation.”
