DGCA discovers cracks inside Emirates plane cabin

New Delhi: An initial inspection by India’s aviation regulator of the EmiratesBoeing 777-200 aircraft that encountered turbulence on Sunday found cracks inside the cabin.
Emirates flight EK530, carrying 350 passengers from Dubai to Kochi, hit clear air turbulence around 50km south of Bangalore at 4.14 am on Sunday, shaking it violently, slamming people not wearing their belts into the ceiling and causing injuries to at least 20 passengers and three crew members.
“There are cracks inside the cabin, which requires removal of panels to assess the actual condition,” said a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The regulator’s team investigating the incident in detail will be headed by S. Durairaj, a senior air safety officer.
The incident lasted about 15 seconds, the DGCA official said. The rapid “oscillation” that the Boeing 777 experienced could be one of the key reasons for the damage, he said.
Safety expert Mohan Ranganathan said gravitational forces could have caused structural damage to the plane, the extent of which depends on altitude and weight.
“The higher the altitude, the more risk there is of pressure on a fuselage—Air France AF447 for example,” said London-based aviation analyst Saj Ahmad.
26/04/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

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Categories: Foreign Apr 2010, Safety Apr 2010