DGCA grounds GoAir staff after plane strays to grass

The Asian Age.

India, All India

During landing, the plane started veering off the runway and entered the land covered with grass. However, the pilot managed to take off.

After landing at Hyderabad, mud deposit was observed on left main landing gear, indicating that aircraft has rolled on to soft ground/ unpaved surface.

New Delhi: The director general of civil aviation (DGCA) has grounded the crew of the GoAir A320 aircraft that strayed away from the main runway and instead took off from grass in Bengaluru.

The incident took place on Monday. GoAir A320 aircraft VT-WGR operating on the Nagpur-Bangalore sector had taken off from Nagpur for Bangalore with 180 people on board. During landing, the plane started veering off the runway and entered the land covered with grass. However, the pilot  managed to take off.

“Due to bad weather at Bangalore, aircraft initiated Go Around. Then, No.1 engine stalled, power on effected engine was reduced to idle and  Go Around process continued and the Aircraft then diverted to Hyderabad,” an official said.

After landing at Hyderabad, mud deposit was observed on left main landing gear, indicating that aircraft has rolled on to soft ground/ unpaved surface. “As per the crew aircraft has deviated to left during go around at Bangalore. Aircraft has been grounded for detailed investigation at Hyderabad. DFDR data along with other recorder data is being analysed for further investigation,” the official added.

IndiGo and GoAir have been facing glitches in their PW engines. Out of its fleet of 247 aircraft, IndiGo has 92 new generation A320 NEOs while GoAir has 35. The DGCA has asked these airlines to replace their PW engines by January 2020.

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