In a year that has witnessed a number
of aviation episodes, a potential
incident was averted when a Jet
Airways flight from Mumbai to Brussels
dropped 5,000 feet in Ankara airspace
while the pilot was having a ‘rest’.
The co-pilot, meanwhile, was busy on
her tablet and reportedly claims she
had no idea the plane had dropped in
altitude.
A call from an alarmed Ankara ATC
jolted the pilots into action.
The Jet Airways flight 9W 228, operating
on a Boeing 777-300 ER, was reportedly
flying at an altitude of 34,000 feet
when it suddenly dropped.
Jet Airways confirmed it has initiated
an inquiry into the incident, which
occurred on August 8.
In a statement, the airline said: “Jet
Airways has initiated an internal
inquiry into the matter. The airline is
also extending all co-operation in the
matter to the Directorate General of
Civil Aviation by providing all necessary
assistance for the inquiry.
“Safety is of paramount importance to
Jet Airways, as is also the welfare of
our guests and crew and the airline will
always take appropriate steps to
ensure the same.”
A DGCA official quoted in the Economic
Times, said: “In the initial inquiry, the
co-pilot said that she was not aware
of the reasons for descent and she was
reading the flight manuals.
“This requires thorough investigation
and only then will we be able to
ascertain the reasons.”
Meanwhile, the carrier faced another
incident today aboard its Delhi-Bhopal
flight on August 14 due to an engine fire
warning.
Jet Airways confirmed the incident,
saying: “Jet Airways flight 9W 2654
from Delhi to Bhopal had a
precautionary rejected take off at Delhi
due to engine fire warning.
“The ATR aircraft has since been
grounded at Delhi for inspection by the
Jet Airways engineering staff. All the
guests were deplaned safely and taken
back to the terminal building without
any event. The aircraft has since been
changed and duly departed for its
destination at 0850 hrs.”