DGCA to complete Kochi plane skid probe in 6 weeks

Mumbai: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has said it will complete in six weeks the investigation into a Gulf Air plane skidding off the runway at Kochi airport.

“I have appointed deputy director Sanjay Brahmane as inquiry officer to investigate the incident. The preliminary probe will be completed in a week and the final report will be available in six weeks. Two officials from the civil aviation authority of Bahrain are also in Kochi, to participate in the inquiry. An assessment of the damage is being done and crew statements will be recorded on Wednesday,” Director General Bharat Bhushan said.

Early yesterday, a Gulf Air A320 plane from Bahrain carrying 137 passengers veered off the runway, after landing at Kochi airport. Seven passengers were hurt.

According to sources, the plane touched down about a thousand feet from the runway threshold and then veered off the runway. The weather bulletin issued earlier said there was no tail wind and the visibility was 2,000 metres above the requirement level.

31/08/11 Business Standard

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DGCA probe blames pilot for Kochi mishap

Kochi: Ruling out bad weather as the cause of Monday's mishap involving a Gulf Air A320 aircraft at Cochin airport, a preliminary inquiry by the Directorate general of civil aviation has blamed pilot error for the plane landing off the runway.

"The pilot must have made some errors during landing and must have tried to steer back the aircraft after it skidded," a DGCA official said. A DGCA team is examining the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder data, which is likely to give a clearer picture of the mishap.

DGCA sources told TOI that the aircraft landed around 3.50am and data obtained from India Meteorological Department clearly showed there were no unusual weather conditions at that time. There was only moderate rain.

31/08/11 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Meticulous ops to remove A320 from crash site

Kochi: Lifting and towing away 50 tonnes of precious metal was no mean feat, the biggest such exercise by technicians at the Cochin International Airport.

On Monday night, more than 50 men braved the chill and rain to retrieve the Gulf Air A320 from the slush into which it had careened after skidding off the runway, and tow it to a vacant bay with a view to making the runway fully operational the next morning. "It was a very complicated operation as the nose wheel had broken. Both engines were filled with slush and grass. There was no power on board. And, worst, there was no way we could steer the aircraft with its front wheel gone," a senior officer, who was part of the retrieval team, told ToI.

Technicians had summoned three cranes capable of lifting 100 tonnes, 60 tonnes and 40 tonnes, respectively, along with a JCB to add muscle to the operation. "But we didn't use them fearing that these crude machines would damage the fuselage of the aircraft. There are designated areas on the body where we could use pressure like a jack, etc.," he explained.

The first task was to lift the nose from the slush. "For this we kept an airbag, which is a multi-layered rectangular balloon inflated with compressed air, under the nose. The bag can lift up to 100 tonnes. But great care has to be taken while inflating as the aluminium-alloy body is quite vulnerable to excess pressure as it can get dented beyond repair," he pointed out.

31/08/11 Times of India

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Parts of LCA Tejas go missing from London airport

India's effort at building an indigenous trainer for the air force has hit numerous air pockets since Sthe project's inception way back in 1983.

In one of the comparatively recent gaffes that raised serious security concerns and added to the hiccups in the rollout of the fleet, a huge consignment containing critical parts meant for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas was lost in transit.

Though the bulky cargo went missing in December 2008 from London's Heathrow Airport after it was loaded onto an aircraft in the US, the government, surprisingly, is still clueless on its whereabouts. The consignment contained 15 actuators - devices that control the flow of material or power and which are a part of the integrated flight control system (IFCS) and line replaceable units (LRUs).

It was airlifted by a British Airways plane from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on December 22, 2008. The aircraft was headed for Heathrow Airport, from where it was supposed to come to India and land at the doorstep of LCA manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore.

31/08/11 India Today

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Experts suspect pilot error in mishap

Kochi: A pilot error caused the accident at the Cochin International Airport in the wee hours of Monday, experts said.
Although, three possibilities are being considered - failure of the instrumental landing system(ILS), pilot error and a sudden blow of crosswind; the primary assessment puts the pilot in the dock.
Kochi-based aviation expert Jacob Philip sees a 70 percent chance that it was an error on the part of the pilot.
“It is learnt that the flight did not land along the centre of the runway, as is the usual practice. However, pilots often land even when there is a slight variation from the centre and make up in running after touch down. In today’s incident, the pilot might have attempted a landing away from the centre hoping to change direction later. The change in direction coupled with speed might have caused the aircraft to lose control and skid off the runway,” Philip said.
Supporting this reasoning, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) director A C K Nair said that there was no problem with the ILS. “A few minutes before the accident, the flights of Qatar Airways and Emirates had landed without any difficulty,” Nair said. However, Philip does not count out the effect of crosswind. “Another major possibility is a sudden crosswind which could have blown after the aircraft descended to a lower altitude,” he said.
Meanwhile, an Indian Airlines pilot refuted the statement of CIAL managing director V J Kurian that a pilot has no option but to land after descending to a height of 350 feet. “The CIAL MD’s statement is wrong. What wonders me is why the pilot did not opt for a go around instead of making a risky landing in rain as he claimed. Go around is possible even after descending to a height of 50 feet,” said the pilot who is serving as a commander.
30/08/11 Babu K Peter/ExpressBuzz

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Close shave: Did weather report misguide Gulf Air pilot?

Mumbai: Most of us take weather predictions with a pinch of salt. For pilots, however, that's not an option, especially during the monsoon. The aviation-specific weather report (called a METAR report) that they get on board their aircraft every 30 minutes is taken very seriously, and it is based on this data that a commander decides, among other things, whether he should continue with a landing or not.
As is the case with all predictions, the METAR report is not expected to be totally accurate, just indicative of what to expect. The pilot of the Gulf Air A-320 with 137 passengers on board which veered off the runway in Kochi and halted nose-down early Monday in slush may not have known that he was going to touch down in blinding rain and strong winds. The accident, which could have led to serious casualties, left only seven people injured mostly from the emergency evacuation, one of them seriously enough to be hospitalized.
The A-320 flying from Bahrain landed at about 3.55am and skidded right to halt more than five metres off the paved surface. About 40 minutes before that aircraft touched down, the commander and co-pilot would have decoded what is called a METAR report that provides wind direction and speed, visibility, cloud cover at different heights, temperature and warns of thunderstorms, rain and haze.
The pilots would have gone through the 3am and 3.30am METAR reports. The 3.30am and 4am METAR reports for Cochin airport were not available on the government website and it is also not known whether these reports were transmitted to the pilots. But the METAR reports for 3am and 4.30am - that is the report issued about an hour before the accident and one issued 35 minutes after the accident - showed good weather.
The 3am report indicates 5 knot winds - acceptable for the size of an A320 - and speaks of clouds at 1000 feet and 800 feet. It ends by saying there will be no significant change in weather in the next hour or so. Similarly, the 4.30am report indicates no surface wind and few clouds, though it says that the sky will be overcast at 800 feet.

"The pilot said that he was suddenly assailed by strong winds and gust of rain after he descended below decision height," said Director General of Civil Aviation Bharat Bhushan. "But the inquiry is still on. So we need to see what the real conditions were," he added.
30/08/11 Manju V/Times of India

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Gulf Air seeks Air India help to clear runway debris

Mumbai: The Gulf Air A320 aircraft which veered off the Cochin Airport runway to come to rest off a paved surface on Monday morning is likely to be removed from its current resting place by Tuesday afternoon. In case of such accidents it is the airline's responsibility to clear the aircraft off the runway. "The stranded aircraft had affected operations at the Cochin International Airport and so Gulf Air officials called up Air India to help them with the issue," said a source.
In India, such jobs go to Air India as it is the only airline which has what is called a Disabled Aircraft Retrieval Kit and the expertise to carry out the work.
"The kit had to be flown down to Cochin and so Air India initially enquired whether Gulf Air will pay for charter flight and all other charges," said a source. The primary tool in a kit consists of low-pressure high-volume inflatable airbags. These are placed underneath the aircraft's nose, wheels, and tyres, inflated and then the aircraft is towed to a parking bay.
But as soon as the work commenced, Air India ran into difficulties. The 'kit' could not be loaded into Boeing 737-800 aircraft which was chartered from Air India Express. "The boxes were so huge that it was not possible to load them into the aircraft," a source said.
30/08/11 Manju V/Times of India

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Skills of Gulf Air pilots and crew help avert tragedy

Manama: The skills of Gulf Air pilots averted tragedy yesterday when a flight skidded off the runway while landing at Kochi International Airport, India, due to weather conditions.
The incident took place at around 4am when the Airbus A320, carrying 137 passengers including an infant, landed in rainy weather conditions, said a Gulf Air official.
A Bahraini, eight Saudis and a UK national were among those on board.
"All passengers were evacuated safely as emergency procedures were employed," said the airline's chief operating officer Capt Nasser Al Salmi.
"Two of the passengers, both Indian nationals, were treated for minor injuries in the terminal building while another Indian man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of evacuation-related injuries."
Capt Al Salimi said a special team as well as two representatives from Bahrain's Civil Aviation Affairs had been deployed.
30/08/11 Mandeep Singh/Gulf Daily.com

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Low cost Singapore, Malaysia flights likely from Nagpur

Nagpur: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport at Nagpur is 'international' only for the record, with only one flight operating to foreign shores from here in the last two years. However, if officials of Mihan India Limited (MIL), the airport operator company, are to be believed, Nagpur may soon be connected again with international destinations like Singapore, Bangkok and Malaysia.
Along with this, Air India Express may resume international flight between Dubai and Nagpur. This route will be serviced by a flight on the Mumbai-Nagpur-Ahmedabad-Dubai sector. "The airline discontinued its service in January last year, but has now started putting in place plans to resume services from Nagpur," sources at the airport informed.
MIL officials have recently approached and requested Air Asia, world's largest international low cost airline, to start flights for designations like Singapore, Bangkok and Malaysia. A senior MIL official confirmed the offer extended to Air Asia officials to get all international facilities at Nagpur airport.
The Nagpur airport had achieved its aviation high some two years ago, with flights to four international destinations Qatar Airways to Doha, Air India Express to Dubai, Air India on Hyderabad-Nagpur-Bangkok sector and Air Arabia for Sharjah.
30/08/11 Times of India

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Irene affects flights to JFK, Newark from IGI Airport

New Delhi: About a dozen flights operating out of the Indira Gandhi International Airport to New York’s JFK and Newark airports were cancelled or delayed on Sunday after airports in the US had to be shut for operations because of Hurricane Irene.
Air India officials said their Saturday flights to JFK and Newark from Delhi as well as Mumbai had been suspended, though they were expecting flights from there to come in sometime on Sunday.
The Friday 11 pm Continental Airways’ flight CO-083 has been rescheduled to arrive at IGI around 1 pm on Monday. The same flight on Saturday has also been rescheduled to arrive after midnight on Monday, an airport official said.
29/08/11 Indian Express

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Flydubai starts service to Ahmedabad

Dubai: Flydubai, Dubai’s pioneering low cost airline, inaugurated its third major Indian route, with the start of operations to the world’s third fastest growing city – Ahmedabad.
Flight FZ437 landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, expanding flydubai’s network to 39 operational destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the fringes of Europe. The new route also marks the airline’s entry into Gujarat, one of India’s most prosperous states with a per-capita GDP significantly above the country’s average at $59 billion.
Flydubai CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to the Indian authorities. Thanks to their strong support, the UAE is now connected to a city that is witnessing incredible infrastructure growth which in turn has led to a population increase. As a rising centre of education, information technology and scientific industries, Ahmedabad remains the cultural and commercial heart of Gujarat and much of western India and as a result we expect this route to prove very popular.”
By increasing the number of flights between Dubai and India, flydubai is supporting the growth of trade and tourism, while also providing convenient and affordable travel options for the considerable Indian expat community in the UAE and their families at home.
29/08/11 Khaleej Times

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Mad scramble for seats as US skies clear

Chennai: The airlines here have announced normal operations to the airports on the east coast of the US after they reopened to traffic on Monday. The airports were closed ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irene. However, the passengers who were on the cancelled flights during the last three days are scuttling for seats as flights are chock-a-block.
When many passengers checked for seat availability on Monday morning, they did not have many options as airlines were yet to decide on whether to operate additional flights.
Providing seats for passengers on seat availability basis in the existing flights have left many of those on cancelled flights in a fix. Rekha, a mother of two, was supposed to fly to the US on August 27. But she did not, as the Jet Airways cancelled its flight in the wee hours of the day. “Today when I went to book a ticket again, the supervisor at the Jet Airways’ ticketing office in Egmore informed me that seats were not available. He said I might get a seat if I went to the airport and if I was lucky enough,” she said.
Many passengers have been stranded at hub airports of various airlines. “Passengers have been waiting for 10 hours at Brussels airport hoping they could get into the next flight. Similar is the case in Frankfurt, Munich and London airports,” said an airline insider.
Sources at the airport said many US-bound passengers have cancelled the tickets, re-booked or taken the rerouting option with the airlines.
30/08/11 New Indian Express/IBN Live

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Gunnie Pieris arrested in Chennai Airport

A suspect on whom a red notice was issued for his arrest allegedly for importing Dionial Chloride to Sri Lanka was under arrest at the Chennai Airport by the Interpol recently.
The CID said they were discussing with the Interpol to bring down the suspect Canute Siripalan Pieris alias Gunnie Pieris on whom a red notice was issued by the Sri Lankan Courts for arrest.
The CID who initiated investigations on an alleged case of importing Dionil Chloride for a factory in Kosgama for the alleged reason of manufacturing toys found that it was imported for the manufacture of a toxic drink.
It was suspected that the chemical was imported to Sri Lanka to be used for chemical weapons to use against the forces during the civil war. However, later it was found that the chemical had been imported to manufacture a toxic drink. The CID investigations revealed that the king pin behind the entire episode was this suspect and a red notice was issued for the arrest by the courts. In the meantime he was arrested by the Interpol at the Chennai Airport when he attempted to enter India.
30/08/11 T. Farook Thajudeen/Daily Mirror

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Aircraft skids off runway at Kochi, major disaster averted

Kochi: A major disaster was averted when a Gulf Air flight carrying 137 on board skidded off the runway while landing at the airport here early on Monday morning. The aircraft came to a halt in a muddy area close to the runway, and there was no loss of life.

Nedumbaseery airport authorities said seven passengers were injured, of which only one needed hospitalisation. The rest made do with first aid. The 130 others including an infant and the six crew escaped unhurt through the emergency doors of the Airbus 320 aircraft.

The runway was closed immediately, leading to diversion of 12 international flights and delays in the operation of several domestic flights.

The pilot was quoted as saying the aircraft veered off the runway because of the heavy rain and poor visibility. The wings, nose wheel and engine have been damaged. A Disabled Aircraft Retrieval Kit was summoned from Mumbai, the Managing Director of the Cochin International Airport limited (CIAL) Dr V J Kurien told reporters.

Dr Kurient said Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will be conducting an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. ``Let's not jump into any conclusions. The pilot has informed us that he could see the runway from six nautical miles away. There was moderate rain when the aircraft reached 2000 feet of height on its descend. But there was a sudden gush of wind and intense rains after the aircraft crossed down the decision height of 352 feet.''

29/08/11 T Ramavarman/Times of India

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Gulf Air plane skids off runway in India

A Gulf Air plane has come off the runway at Kochi airport in the southern Indian state of Kerala, injuring at least seven passengers.

The flight, coming from Bahrain, was carrying 137 passengers and six crew. An inquiry has begun into the accident.

Officials say the runway is closed and several flights have been diverted.

Reports said some passengers jumped down from the aircraft in panic through the emergency door even before the ladder was brought to the flight.

"The Gulf Air flight GF270 deviated from the runway at 0355 [2225GMT] this [Monday] morning," news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted airport director ACK Nair as saying.

The plane went into a muddy area, damaging its nose wheel, PTI reported.

Officials said it was very windy and raining heavily at the time of the landing.

"The preliminary investigation revealed bad weather and poor visibility caused the accident," AFP quoted an unnamed airport official as saying.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an inquiry into the incident.

29/08/11 BBC

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Weather likely reason for Gulf Air plane skidding in Kochi

Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi today said rain and wind appear to be the reasons behind a Gulf Air plane skidding off the runway while landing at the International Airport in Kochi even as DGCA ordered an inquiry into the incident.

"DGCA has asked for a report. The report which has come to me is that it is a difficult place though the runway is long enough. The rains and winds were there. Then, it landed and slipped," he told reporters here.

137 passengers and six crew of the plane from Bahrain had a narrow escape when the Airbus A-320 skidded off the runway into a muddy area while landing at the airport.

29/08/11 PTI/Daily News & Analysis

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Passengers jump from plane after bad landing

Thiruvananthapuram : Terrified passengers jumped out of a plane in India on Monday after it skidded to a halt on landing, escaping before emergency ladders were put in place, officials said.

Seven passengers were injured in the pre-dawn incident when the Gulf Air flight from Bahrain to Kochi in the southern Indian state of Kerala landed badly in wet weather conditions and veered onto muddy grassland.

"The Bahrain-Kochi Airbus 320 shot 10m off the runway. Some passengers in panic jumped out of the emergency exit before the ladders were brought," ACK Nair, Kochi Airport director, told AFP.

"Because the nose of the plane was damaged, the emergency (inflatable) ladder did not work, so a rescue team started bringing ladders to the site. But before they arrived, people began to jump.

29/08/11 News24.com

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Flights from UAE delayed as Kochi airport closes

Hundreds of passengers bound for Kochi, India, were stranded for hours as Emirates, Etihad and Air India Express flights experienced disruptions and delays

Hundreds of passengers bound for Kochi, India, were stranded for hours as Emirates, Etihad and Air India Express flights experienced disruptions and delays following the temporary closure of Kochi airport on Monday morning.

The closure came after a Gulf Air aircraft with 137 passengers and six crew skidded off the runway and was run aground in mud at 3.55am, injuring seven passengers.

Etihad Airways flight EY280, which departed from Abu Dhabi on Sunday, was rerouted to Thiruvananthapuram. Passengers were then transported by road to Kochi. The return flight EY281 from Kochi was cancelled on Monday. No further disruption is expected.

A spokesperson of Etihad told Khaleej Times that Etihad will operate a second A320 aircraft to provide additional capacity on the route

The other delayed flights include Air India Express flight from Sharjah, which was supposed to depart at 1.30pm, Sharjah-Kochi Air India flight scheduled to depart at 12.05am and the Dubai-Kochi Air India Express flight, scheduled to leave at 11.55pm.

All the flights are fully booked due to the Eid holidays and upcoming Onam celebrations in Kerala. Most of the passengers of the Air India Express Sharjah-Kochi flight have been provided with hotel accommodation while some preferred to go home.

29/08/11 Lily B. Libo-on and Sajila Saseendran/Khaleej Times

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Gulf Air Skidded Due to Heavy Rainfall : Airlines

Kochi: Several people were injured on early Monday morning when an Airbus 320 belonging to Gulf Air skidded off the runway at an airport in southwest India, the airline said. Heavy rainfall is believed to have caused the incident.

The incident happened at around 1.45 a.m. local time when Gulf Air flight 270 was attempting to land at Cochin International Airport, which is located about 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of the major port city of Kochi. The plane was carrying 143 people, including one infant and six crew members.

Gulf Air spokeswoman Katherine Kaczynska said in a statement that the aircraft skidded off the runway during heavy rainfall.

Gulf Air said the Airbus 320, which suffered a nose gear collapse during the skid, was only 1.5 year old and had an up-to-date service history. "Rainy weather conditions are suspected to be the cause of this incident, however the aircraft was approved for landing and the cause will not be able to be confirmed until a full investigation has been completed," Kaczynska said.

29/08/11 BNO News/Daijiworld.com

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Airlines seek foreign cash, but ministry not game

New Delhi: The debt-ridden domestic airline industry is once again clamouring for permission to invite equity investment by foreign airlines.

But the civil aviation ministry is not game.

Top ministry officials have admitted that some airlines — notably Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher — have been urging the ministry to consider their plea on allowing foreign airlines to acquire stake in domestic carriers.

This could take care of some of the sizeable debt on the books of almost all Indian airlines. As per existing policy, equity investment is totally banned by foreign airlines.

This issue was first raised in 2009, when the ministry began deliberations under the then civil aviation minister Praful Patel for allowing some investment by foreign airlines. This proposal was subsequently forwarded to other ministries (including the commerce ministry) for their views.

The civil aviation ministry had, at that time, recommended up to 26% equity investment by foreign airlines. But the proposal was never implemented due to security concerns raised by some ministries.

Now, after Vayalar Ravi took over the reins at the civil aviation ministry earlier this year, airlines have again sought clarity on the matter. But top officials in the ministry sought to underplay this issue.

29/08/11 Sindhu Bhattacharya/Daily News & Analysis

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