The Civil Aviation Ministry has summoned Air India’s outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson in connection with the Phuket-Delhi flight incident last week which had left few passengers and cabin crew members injured.
The Airbus A320 (flight AI2379 ), carrying 137 passengers from Phuket to Delhi on August 4 lost about 300 feet of altitude during cruise before stabilising and landing safely in Delhi. Among the 137 passengers there were also three infants and eight crew members inside the flight.
Meanwhile, as per news reports, the summoning of Campbell came after key meeting between Civil Aviation Ministry Secretary Sameer Sinha, DGCA Director General Veer Vikram Yadav and AAIB Director General GVG Yugandhar.
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus and French aviation accident investigation agency BEA have also agreed to join the investigation.
“In accordance with ICAO Annex 13, Airbus is providing technical assistance to the relevant investigating authorities. We are actively supporting the airline and will provide further information as it becomes available. A team of specialists is being dispatched to assist with the investigation,” an Airbus spokesperson said.
France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), the country’s air accident investigation agency, is also participating in the investigation. Under ICAO’s Annex 13, the country where an aircraft is designed or manufactured can appoint representatives to participate in an investigation, reported IANS. The investigation is also examining the circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s sudden altitude variation and the actions of the flight crew. The plane’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been secured for examination as part of the investigation, the agency said.
These records are expected to help investigators reconstruct the aircraft’s response during the turbulence encounter and establish whether any aircraft systems or warnings were involved.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has removed both pilots from the roster pending the investigation. The pilots were subjected to post-flight screening for psychoactive substances after arriving in Delhi. The initial screening test of the pilot-in-command was “not negative” and the sample has been sent for a confirmatory test, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Sunday.
The government said further action would be taken based on the outcome of the investigation and the confirmatory test.
With IANS Inputs
