A preliminary investigation by officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has revealed that the SpiceJet aircraft which skidded off the main runway at Mumbai airport on Monday was at 86 knots or 150 kmph when it reached the runway end.
“The pilots had been warned of a wind shear and thus increased the aircraft speed and proceeded to land, instead of a go-around resulting in the accident,” an official who examined the aircraft said. Both pilots have been derostered pending further enquiry, he said.
A wind shear is defined as a sudden change of wind velocity and/or direction, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation. It may be vertical or horizontal, or a mixture of both types, and is particularly hazardous to aircraft departing or arriving at an aerodrome.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 formerly operated by Jet Airways and only recently leased by SpiceJet, overshot the main runway on Monday night and came to rest in soft mud. “If not for the soft mud and slush the end result could have been far more dangerous,” the official said.
At the time of the incident, the aircraft was operating a Jaipur-Mumbai flight with 160 passengers on board. When the aircraft came to a halt, oxygen masks had been deployed and officials said passengers took about 30 minutes to deplane using emergency ladders deployed by the airport firefighting team.
The DGCA, meanwhile, issued a circular titled ‘Monsoon Operations.’ “We have also instructed heads of flight safety of airlines to include in their safety briefings to pilots, an express instruction to refrain from landing with unstabilised approach while experiencing adverse weather conditions and initiate a go around,” Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Kumar said.
Mr. Kumar said safety cannot be compromised at any cost. “All the authorities concerned are requested to strictly comply with the instructions. Non-adherence shall invite appropriate punitive action,” he said.
On June 30, another SpiceJet plane from Bhopal veered off the runway at Surat airport due to heavy rainfall and wind. On the same day, an Air India Express flight moved away from the taxiway after landing and got stuck in soft ground at the Mangaluru airport.
