Probe into SpiceJet Durgapur incident now with aircraft accidents bureau

“Deficiencies are being identified and addressed. We will not let an aircraft with any safety issue fly without it being properly attended. We expect things to improve shortly,” a senior government official said.

As per initial investigation, a SpiceJet B737-800 aircraft VT-SLH while operating from Mumbai to Durgapur encountered severe turbulence during descent and during this period, the autopilot was disengaged for two minutes and the crew manually flew the aircraft.

As a result of the severe turbulence, 17 out of 195 passengers on board were injured, including fourteen passengers and three cabin crew members. Currently, three out of the 17 injured are being treated for head and spinal injuries, with two of them in the ICU. During the turbulence, the overhead panels opened and oxygen masks fell off. Some of the armrests and overhead decorative panels were damaged while the galley items were seen strewn across on the floor, as per the initial DGCA report.

The aircraft is currently positioned at Kolkata airport.

As an immediate step, DGCA has off-rostered the involved crew, the aircraft maintenance engineer who released the aircraft from Durgapur and the person in charge of the maintenance control centre of SpiceJet, pending investigation.