New Delhi: In two different occurrences, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended pilot licences for regulation violations, news agency ANI reported.
A senior DGCA official revealed that the regulator has suspended the pilot-in-command (PIC) of the SpiceJet flight's licence for six months after he disregarded a co-caution pilot's to avoid the clouds and piloted the jet into severe turbulence.
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On May 1, the Boeing B737 aeroplane flying SG-945 from Mumbai to Durgapur suffered strong turbulence during the descent, injuring a few passengers.
There were 195 people on board the plane, including two pilots and four cabin staff members. At at 5.13 p.m., the plane took flight from Mumbai.
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The aircraft encountered considerable turbulence throughout the descent, with the vertical load factor varying between +2.64G and -1.36G.
During this time, the autopilot was turned off for two minutes, and the crew piloted the plane manually, according to a statement issued by the DGCA on May 2.
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In another example, the DGCA suspended for one month the licence of a charter jet pilot involved in a phoney fuel emergency.
On October 19, 2021, the pilot of a charter jet flying from Bokaro to Ranchi fraudulently announced a low fuel emergency in order to get priority landing and avoid a period of hovering. During the investigation, it was discovered that the plane had sufficient fuel.
(With Inputs From ANI)