A SpiceJet Boeing 737 aircraft was grounded as a precautionary measure due to problems with its nose wheel after a flight from Mangaluru to Dubai on Monday, a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said and added it was later permitted to operate flights. The airline also sent an alternate aircraft to Dubai.
“During the inspection post landing, the engineers observed that the nose wheel strut compressed more than normal. It was then that the aircraft was grounded as a precautionary measure,” said the official, requesting anonymity. “After the inspection of the landing gear strut, nitrogen was replenished as per the maintenance procedure. As there were no other abnormalities found, the aircraft was released for service.”
A SpiceJet spokesperson said that the aircraft was delayed due to a last-minute technical issue and alternate aircraft was arranged immediately. “Flight delays can happen with any airline. There has been no incident or a safety scare on this flight. After the minor technical issue was resolved, the first aircraft flew back to India as a commercial flight,” the spokesperson added.
India’s aviation regulator last week issued a warning notice to SpiceJet, saying the budget carrier failed to establish its services were safe, efficient, and reliable. It cited a review from last year that found “poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions”.
{{/usCountry}}India’s aviation regulator last week issued a warning notice to SpiceJet, saying the budget carrier failed to establish its services were safe, efficient, and reliable. It cited a review from last year that found “poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions”.
{{/usCountry}}DGCA’s notice came after SpiceJet flights reported a spate of air safety incidents. A review found several incidents since April 1 in which “the aircraft either turned back to its originating station or continued landing to the destination with degraded safety margins”, the DGCA said, asking the airline to explain why action should not be taken against it.
Since May 1, there have been at least nine air safety incidents reported from flights the airline operated. On Tuesday last, pilots of a SpiceJet freighter plane to Chongqing returned to Kolkata after the weather radar was found malfunctioning.
The airline’s Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a malfunctioning fuel indicator and its Kandla-Mumbai flight made a priority landing in Maharashtra’s capital after cracks developed on its windshield mid-air on the same day.
On July 2, a SpiceJet flight heading to Jabalpur returned to Delhi after the crew members observed smoke in the cabin at around 5,000 feet altitude.
SpiceJet chief Ajay Singh has said the company will be “doubly careful” and strengthen inspection of aircraft before the operation of their flights. He added none of the incidents in the last few weeks had anything to do with a shortage of spare parts.