A preliminary inquiry into the mid-air detachment of a panel of a Bangalore-bound Dreamliner plane has found out that some screws were loose while some others were missing during the flight, officials said on Monday.
The incident, which took place on October 12 on a Bangalore-bound Air India flight from Delhi, has been described by Directorate General of Civil Aviation Arun Mishra as "totally undesirable". The DGCA is probing the incident.
According to officials, the preliminary investigation has found that some screws were loose and the panel, which fell off, had only half a dozen screws instead of required 17.
With the probe on, a team of engineers from Dreamliner manufacturer Boeing has also joined their counterparts from DGCA and Air India.
A large panel in the belly of a Dreamliner flight, which took off from New Delhi, fell off, leaving a large hole on the cargo hold. The plane landed in Bangalore safely though the incident put the 148 passengers, including crew, on board at risk. After being partially detached, the panel finally gave in to strong winds and fell off just before the aircraft landed in Bangalore, leaving a big hole in the cargo hold area.
