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Alert pilot averted another M'lore

Last Updated 05 December 2010, 03:46 IST
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The Air India Express Flight suddenly took a 26-degree nosedive after the co-pilot inadvertently pressed the control column while he was attempting to adjust his seat forward when the pilot was away. Because of this, the aircraft, which was on auto pilot mode, plunged alarmingly within five seconds.

This startling revelation has been made in a report prepared by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which investigated the mid-air incident that shocked the flight passengers.

Incidentally, this air episode occurred just four days after the devastating Mangalore crash involving another Air India Express flight in which 158 people died.

The frightening nosediving of the May 26 flight of Air India Express VT-AXJ carrying 113 passengers occurred just one hour after its departure from Dubai.

The DGCA report—based on a black box recording—said the main pilot went to the washroom  while putting the aircraft on auto pilot mode while it was flying at a height of 37,000 feet. As soon as he reached the washroom, the pilot found that the toilet was occupied.

While the pilot was returning to the cockpit, he realised that the aircraft had gone into a nose-down configuration.

Door locked

The commander immediately wanted to enter the cockpit and retrieve the situation. However, the cockpit door was not opening. He used the emergency access code to enter the cockpit.

The total duration that he was out of the cockpit was approximately 40 seconds during which time the aircraft nosedived by 6,800 feet creating a commotion among the passengers.

The cabin crew alerted the cockpit. However, there was no response from the cockpit. On entering the cockpit, the captain saw the aircraft was diving to a 26-degree pitch down altitude.

He immediately controlled the aircraft manually, arrested its descent and put the flight on normal cruise. The pilot also exhorted the passengers to fasten their seat belts and not to panic.

According to the inquiry report,  as soon as the pilot left the cockpit, the co-pilot started doing some paper work.  The  panicked co-pilot  could neither control the aircraft nor open the cockpit door after the plunge. The aircraft finally landed in Pune safely.

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(Published 04 December 2010, 19:47 IST)

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