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Journalism of Courage
Two days after an IndiGo Delhi-Srinagar flight hit severe turbulence and hailstorm before landing safely in the J&K capital, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said Friday that the pilots had sought permission from the Indian Air Force Northern Area Control to deviate towards the India-Pakistan international border and also contacted the Lahore Air Traffic Control to briefly enter Pakistani airspace — currently a no-go zone for Indian aircraft — to bypass the storm.
Both these requests were denied, and the flight crew decided to go through inclement weather and continue the journey to Srinagar, according to the statement by the pilots to the DGCA which is investigating the incident.
“While cruising at FL360 (36,000 feet), aircraft entered hailstorm and severe turbulence near Pathankot. As per crew statement, they requested Northern Control (IAF) for deviation towards left (International Border) due to weather on the route, however it was not approved. Later crew contacted Lahore to enter into their airspace to avoid the weather but the same was refused too. Crew initially attempted to turn back but as they were close to the thunderstorm cloud, they decided to penetrate the weather. Subsequently, they encountered hailstorm and severe turbulence. Crew chose to continue at the same, heading to exit the weather by the shortest route towards Srinagar,” the DGCA said.
Emails to the IAF and the Ministry of Defence seeking their comments on the DGCA statement did not elicit a response.
IAF sources said the Northern Area Control’s advice to the pilots was within the frame of the ban on Indian aircraft in Pakistani airspace, adding that the flight was assisted immediately in coordinating its route diversion.
“The aircraft was immediately assisted in coordinating their route diversion by contacting Delhi Area and passing requisite contact frequencies of Lahore control for overflight weather diversion request. Once Lahore refused overflight clearance, and the aircraft proceeded towards Srinagar, the flight was subsequently professionally assisted till safe landing at Srinagar airfield by giving control vectors and ground speed readouts,” the IAF sources said. Air traffic services at Srinagar airport are also under the control of the IAF.
On April 24, two days after the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian aircraft and Indian airlines, banning them from overflying its airspace.
In the case of the IndiGo Delhi-Srinagar flight, Lahore ATC did not allow the use of its airspace despite the urgent weather situation that the aircraft was grappling with.
The Airbus A321neo aircraft, operating flight 6E 2142, had over 220 people on board, including a five-member Trinamool Congress delegation. It hit a severe hailstorm on its way to Srinagar from Delhi, which led to a turbulent few minutes for those on board.
The pilots successfully navigated the storm by flying manually amid wide speed variations and rapid altitude changes, and landed safely at the Srinagar airport. While no one on board the aircraft suffered any injury, the aircraft’s nose, which houses the radome, suffered visible significant damage. The radome is an aerodynamic weatherproof fairing that protects the plane’s radar antenna. It is manufactured with materials that allow transmission and reception of the radar radio waves with minimal interference.
The aircraft departed from Delhi at 5.13 pm Wednesday, according to flight tracking data. Around 45 minutes into the flight, when the aircraft was passing over the Pathankot area, the seat belt signs were switched on by the flight crew, which was followed by severe turbulence for a few minutes and a hailstorm hitting the aircraft’s fuselage, it is learnt. The aircraft landed at Srinagar airport around 6.30 pm. Given the damage to the nose of the aircraft, it was grounded in Srinagar for necessary maintenance and inspections.
According to the pilots’ statement to the DGCA, the aircraft sounded various technical warnings while navigating the thunderstorm. These included warnings of “angle of attack fault, alternate law protection lost, and backup speed scale unreliable”.
“Due to updraft and downdraft encountered by the aircraft, the autopilot tripped and aircraft speed had wide variations. As a result, maximum operating speed/maximum operating mach (VMO/MMO) warnings and repeated stall warnings were triggered. During this period, the aircraft rate of descent reached 8500 fpm (feet per minute). Crew flew the aircraft manually till they exited the hailstorm,” the DGCA said based on the crew’s statement.
After carrying out all checklist actions, the crew declared “PAN-PAN” to Srinagar ATC and requested for radar vectors and made a safe landing, the regulator said.
PAN-PAN or a PAN call — short for “possible assistance needed” — is used to communicate an urgent situation, which might require assistance, but is not a life-threatening emergency. Radar vectors are specific navigation headings provided by ATCs to aircraft to guide them along the desired flight path.
In a statement, IndiGO said, “IndiGo flight 6E 2142 from Delhi to Srinagar on May 21 navigated a sudden hailstorm and landed safely at Srinagar International Airport. All customers were attended to upon landing and no injuries were reported. The aircraft is currently undergoing necessary inspection and maintenance in Srinagar and will resume operations once all clearances have been secured. We sincerely thank our customers for their cooperation in ensuring the safe completion of this flight. As always, the safety of our customers and crew remains our highest priority.”
