29 emergency, wrong landings since 2010

There were 16 instances of landing under emergency conditions and 13 wrong landings in the country between 2010 and now, with Kingfisher Airlines accounting for the largest number of incidents in both categories, official figures show.

There were 16 instances of landing under emergency conditions and 13 wrong landings in the country between 2010 and now, with Kingfisher Airlines accounting for the largest number of incidents in both categories, official figures show.

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The Vijay Mallya-owned carrier accounted for eight emergency landings for medical or technical reasons and seven wrong landings, defined as those which are either hard landings or involve tail scraping or nose-wheel landings.

Compared to Kingfisher, Jet Airways accounted for only one emergency landing and four wrong landings and Air India two emergency landings, the figures show.

Air India Charters which runs no-frill Air India Express as well as IndiGo had two emergency landings and one wrong landing each, while GoAir had only one emergency landing.

JetLite, SpiceJet, Alliance Air and cargo carriers Blue Dart and Deccan Cargo did not account for a single such incident, the figures showed.

Most of the emergency landings or wrong landings were made by turboprop ATR-72 aircraft which accounted for 12 incidents, while Airbus A-320s accounted for eight such incidents. Four incidents involved Boeing 737s, while A-319s and A-321s recorded two each.

Official sources said there were 10 safety lapses in 2009 and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had taken follow-up action to prevent recurrence.

Maintaining that all airlines carry out internal safety audits and monthly surveillance checks, they said these reports were submitted to DGCA along with the action taken by the airlines involved. The safety inspections were also examined by DGCA officials.

The aviation regulator has also increased the frequency of air safety checks and all findings of deficiencies are required to be corrected by airlines as per the time-frame and rules laid down by the DGCA, the sources said.

Actions which are taken by the regulator includes, warnings or derostering of pilots or suspension or even withdrawal of certifications of the crew or the airline.