Passengers on an IndiGo flight between New Delhi and Srinagar experienced a nightmarish ride on Wednesday evening when the plane was hit by severe turbulence in the midst of a strong hailstorm in northern India. The ordeal was further aggravated as the flight was engulfed in a fierce weather system while cruising over Pathankot, Punjab, at a height of 86,000 feet.
Denied Entry into Pakistani Airspace
In a bid to avoid the hazardous weather, the pilots requested clearance to divert left towards the International Border. This was however denied by the Indian Air Force’s Northern Control. A later request to Lahore Air Traffic Control to enter Pakistani airspace was also rejected.
“According to crew statement, they had asked for Northern control (IAF) for left deviation (International Border) because of weather on the way but that was not cleared,” a DGCA official is quoted as saying by PTI. “Subsequently, the crew had called Lahore to come into their airspace in order to bypass the weather but the same was denied too,” said DGCA.
Pilots Opt to Fly to Srinagar
Confronted with closed airspace and rapidly advancing storm clouds, the pilots considered turning back to Delhi. But with the storm so close and the position of the aircraft, the pilots decided to press on to Srinagar instead.
Once inside the storm, the aircraft encountered severe hail and turbulence, and a state of panic set in onboard with the 220+ passengers. The critical systems triggered warnings, and the aircraft was put through an immediate descent at a rate of 8,500 feet per minute, as indicated by the DGCA.
‘PAN PAN’ Emergency Call
In spite of the pandemonium, the crew was able to level the aircraft. “Crew flew the aircraft manually till they exited the hailstorm.”. Upon completing all check list procedures (ECAM procedures), the crew announced PAN PAN (urgency message) to Srinagar ATC and asked for RADAR vectors and landed safely with auto thrust in normal condition. There was no damage to any of the passengers on the flight. Post-flight walk-around indicated Nose radome damage,” the DGCA asserted in its official release.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation initiated an investigation into the accident.
