2 Kingfisher pilots may be dismissed for near-disaster

Mumbai: A Kingfisher Airlines aircraft with 150 passengers on board went on a steep descent on its final approach to Mumbai airport on Tuesday
morning. When it was 10 km away from the runway, the aircraft was at 700 ft instead of being at 2,500 ft. The pilots were alerted by air traffic controllers and a catastrophe was averted.
"The cockpit crew operating this flight have been taken off active flight duty and de-rostered pending further investigations,'' said an airline spokesperson. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the incident. According to sources, the airline has taken serious note of the incident and is likely to dismiss both pilots.
"The tower controller noticed that the aircraft was flying very low and alerted the pilot,'' said M G Junghare, general manager, Mumbai airport. A "climb to 2,600 feet, aircraft approaching terrain,'' instruction was given to the pilot. Said a source: "The ground proximity warning system also went on in the cockpit. Fortunately, there was no terrain or hill in the aircraft's flight path. The pilot was instructed to climb and then the aircraft circled the airport before landing to safety on second attempt.''
It is not known how many times such instances have occurred in the past in Mumbai. The city witnessed an aircrash in 1979 when a low-flying Indian Airlines Pune-Mumbai flight ran into a hill, killing all on board the Avro aircraft. Investigations revealed that the aircraft had captured a false glide slope.
12/06/09 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jun 2009, Kingfisher Jun 2009, Safety Jun 2009