Two Go First Flights Grounded After Engine Snags, Latest In Long List Of Aviation Mishaps

In the latest episode of malfunctions in the Indian aviation sector, two Go First flights were on Tuesday grounded by regulator Directorate General of Civil Avitation (DGCA) after these flights faced enging snags.

Go First's Mumbai-Leh flight and Srinagar-Delhi flight faced engine snags on Tuesday were grounded by DGCA, officials said.

Officials added that the DGCA is investigating the incidents and both the planes will fly only when cleared by the regulator.

Go First's Mumbai-Leh flight was diverted to Delhi as a fault was observed in engine number 2 on Tuesday, DGCA officials said, whereas the Srinagar-Delhi flight returned to Srinagar after the aircraft's engine number 2 showed a fault mid-air.

Go First did not respond to PTI's request for statement on this matter.

There have been multiple technical malfunction incidents in planes flown by Indian carriers in the last one month. Over the last three days, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has held multiple meetings with airlines and officials from his ministry and the DGCA officials to ensure safety oversight.

Two incidents were reported on Sunday. 

In the first incident, IndiGo's Sharjah-Hyderabad flight was diverted to Karachi as a precaution after pilots observed a defect in one of the engines. 

In the second, Air India Express's Calicut-Dubai flight was diverted to Muscat on Saturday night after a burning smell was observed in the cabin mid-air.

Both the incidents were confirmed by DGCA and are under investigation.

• Besides these incidents, there has been a string of incidents that have plagued the Indian civil aviation sector recently.
• Indigo is being investigated by the DGCA for a July 14 incident when Delhi-Vadodara flight was diverted to Jaipur out of precaution as vibrations were observed in the engines.
• A live bird was found in the cockpit of Air India Express' Bahrain-Kochi flight on July 15. The bird was found in the glove compartment on co-pilot's side when the plane was at 37,000 feet altitude. The DGCA is investigating the incident.
• SpiceJet is also under regulatory scanner as on On July 6, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice following at least eight incidents of technical malfunction in its aircraft since June 19. One of the incidents happened on July 5 when Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi due to a malfunctioning fuel indicator. Its Kandla-Mumbai flight also did priority landing in Mumbai after cracks developed on its windshield mid-air.
• On July 5, an engine of a Vistara aircraft on way from Bangkok failed after it landed at the Delhi airport. 
• On July 5, the cabin crew of an IndiGo's Raipur-Indore flight observed smoke in the plane after it landed at its destination.
• On July 2, a SpiceJet flight heading to Jabalpur returned to Delhi after the crew members observed smoke in the cabin at around 5,000 feet altitude.
• Fuselage door warnings lit up on two separate SpiceJet planes while taking off on June 24 and June 25, forcing them to abandon their journeys and return.
• On June 19, an engine on SpiceJet's Delhi-bound aircraft carrying 185 passengers caught fire soon after the take-off from Patna airport and the plane made an emergency landing minutes later. The engine malfunctioned because of a bird hit.
• On June 19, a SpiceJet flight for Jabalpur had to return to Delhi due to cabin pressurisation issues.

(With PTI inputs)