Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Monday that it would soon issue additional safety instructions on Boeing 737 MAX airplanes for Indian carriers, in the wake of the crash of an Ethiopian airliner that killed 157 people.
“DGCA is reviewing the matter regarding safety issues post-accident of the Ethiopian Airline’s B737-800MAX. Additional safety instructions to Indian operators shall be issued tonight or tomorrow morning,” a senior official of the aviation regulator said.
The DGCA statement came on a day when Ethiopia, Indonesia and China announced the grounding of the aircraft. While calling for the grounding of the Boeing 737-Max aircraft in India, pilots wondered what could have happened for the pilots to level off/out [aircraft travelling horizontally rather than going up or down] at a low altitude just after takeoff.
Deep dive
As investigators started looking for clues and managed to recover the black box on Monday, experts said the crash site appeared to be consistent with a deep dive. “What could have precipitated in the cockpit that forced the pilots to level off the aircraft at such a low altitude just after takeoff and then turn towards the direction of an obstacle is quite intriguing and can only be revealed after thorough investigations,” said Captain Amit Singh, an airline pilot and a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in his blog.
Capt. Singh noted that the aircraft’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS–B) data showed the Ethiopian airliner was airborne in less than 18 seconds from takeoff roll. “This is very short for an aircraft with a high elevation and 157 passengers. The initial climb rate of 128 feet per minute could indicate a recovery from stick shaker [a mechanical device to rapidly and noisily vibrate the control yoke of an aircraft to warn the pilot of an imminent stall],” Capt Singh said.
The ADS-B is a surveillance technology in which an aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation and periodically broadcasts it, enabling it to be tracked.
Capt Shakti Lumba, former head of operations, Indigo, strongly recommended that one should let the investigators do their job. “The Digital Flight Data Recorder and the collation with the Cockpit Voice Recorder should be awaited,” he said.
Chennai-based aviation expert Capt. Mohan Ranganathan noted that the crash site appeared to be consistent with a steep deep dive. He also noted that experience of the first officer was just 200 hours. “If anyone thinks a pilot with 200 hour training on a Cessna can handle a major emergency on a high performance jet airliner, then he is being foolish,” the former pilot said.
Second crash
“We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew on board and stand ready to support the Ethiopian Airlines team,” Boeing said in a statement. “A Boeing technical team is prepared to provide technical assistance at the request and under the direction of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.”
This is the second Boeing Max plane to have crashed in a span of a few months. On October 29, 2018, a Lion Air Boeing737 Max 800 plane with 189 people on board crashed soon after take off in Indonesia. The Ethiopian Airlines plane also crashed 6 minutes after take off.
