India: "Probable snag in autopilot" results in narrow escape for 187 Airbus passengers

The Times of India News Service

CHENNAI: It was a miraculous escape for the Indian Airlines Airbus A-300 passengers - who had flown for Singapore at the wee hours of Tuesday - when the aircraft made an emergency landing, as it experienced ``heavy turbulence, bumps and jerks'' within 30 minutes in air.

Though all the 187 passengers and 11 crew members were safe, 10 suffered injuries. The injured were hospitalised and two others were given outdoor treatment.

According to an Indian Airlines release, the IC-555 flight was flying at a height of 29,000 feet when it encountered the turbulence which resulted in a technical snag. The plane had suddenly lost the altitude and had come down to 22,000 feet, 80 km south-east of Chennai over the Bay of Bengal, the release added.

``Detailed investigations are, however, being undertaken. Possibility of weather turbulence is also being examined,'' the release said.

According to Airports Authority of India, the flight which arrived from Delhi late, at 12.30 a.m. on Tuesday - instead of its scheduled arrival at 10 p.m. on Monday - had developed a technical snag and the flight left at 3.30 a.m. However, it returned to the city at 4.25 a.m.

The IA sources said that the heavy turbulence had jerked the aircraft, which is suspected to be a probable snag in the auto pilot system.

The passengers were caught unawares without the seat belts fastened. Many of the passengers were thrown about along with baggage, sustaining injuries in the bone, deep cuts and abrasions, they narrated.

Before landing under ``local emergency'' condition, the flight commander, Captain Chandrasekhar, had contacted the Air Traffic Control in Chennai, got the clearance and jettisoned large quantities of fuel to be left only what was required for landing.

\The AAI director Sudhir Kumar said that after granting the permission to return to the base, the airport personnel were put on stand-by.

The passengers were shell shocked when the aircraft arrived. They were accommodated in two hotels in the city. According to the IA release, the flight was operated back to Singapore at 12.30 p.m. Tuesday.

http://www.timesofindia.com/today/27indi5.htm

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), September 26, 2000

Answers

How many aircraft close calls like this have we had now this year? There have been so many I've lost count.

-- QMan (qman@c-zone.net), September 26, 2000.