Chennai: Cruising at more than 30,000 feet at a speed of more than 700kmph in the middle of night a fortnight ago, the captain and first officer of an Air India's A320 aircraft took turns to look out for patches of clouds on the flight path as the plane's weather radar had conked off. And then, the captain spotted a white patch reflecting moonlight. They diverted the flight just in time to avoid a possible turbulence.
This scenario has been repeating in cockpits of a few Air India flights at night, as weather radars of almost 17 aircraft have been erratic for the last two months. Under pressure to maintain schedules, flight engineers run a test on the ground and clear the aircraft for service.
An Air India official said, "There were problems with weather radars on a few aircraft. Antennas were changed as and when pilots complained. The snag may also be due to change in weather radar technology. The equipment may not be compatible. Several of our old planes have been phased out. Air India will soon get 19 new A320 on dry lease." Director general of civil aviation Arun Mishra told TOI that the matter had not come to his notice.
24/11/13 V Ayyappan/Times of India
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This scenario has been repeating in cockpits of a few Air India flights at night, as weather radars of almost 17 aircraft have been erratic for the last two months. Under pressure to maintain schedules, flight engineers run a test on the ground and clear the aircraft for service.
An Air India official said, "There were problems with weather radars on a few aircraft. Antennas were changed as and when pilots complained. The snag may also be due to change in weather radar technology. The equipment may not be compatible. Several of our old planes have been phased out. Air India will soon get 19 new A320 on dry lease." Director general of civil aviation Arun Mishra told TOI that the matter had not come to his notice.
24/11/13 V Ayyappan/Times of India
