IndiGo planes' mid-air head-on collision averted

Two IndiGo aircraft had a narrow escape from a head-on collision near Guwahati late on Tuesday as one of them abruptly gained height to avoid rapid air turbulence.

IndiGo flight 6E-813, en route to Guwahati from Mumbai, experienced turbulence due to monsoon activity. It was a clear air turbulence which cannot be picked up by the on board weather radar and thus the crew decided to climb 250-300 feet to avoid it.

As soon as 6E-813 gained height, the onboard anti-collision device triggered an alarm as another IndiGo flight, 6E-136, bound for Chennai from Guwahati was within a distance of 1,000 feet. The pilots in both the flights took immediate action to maintain distance and avoid collision.