'Pilots handled situation well, DGCA to probe mid-air fire': SpiceJet Chief Of Flight Ops

As a massive accident was averted after a Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight made an emergency landing at the Jay Prakash Narayan Airport in Patna after catching fire mid-air, the Chief of flight operations of the airline, Gurcharan Arora lauded the pilots for handling the situation. He also confirmed that the fan blade and the engine were damaged as it was hit by a bird, further stating that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will investigate the matter.

Speaking to ANI, Spicejet's Chief of flight operations said, "Pilots handled the situation well. The only single-engine was functioning when the plane landed back. Engineers inspected the aircraft, it was confirmed that the fan blade and engine were damaged as a bird hit it. DGCA will probe further."

A SpiceJet Boeing 737 carrying 185 passengers on board returned safely to Patna soon after an emergency landing on June 19 afternoon following the reports of a fire in one of the engines. All the passengers were rescued later. In an official statement, the spokesperson for SpiceJet said that the flight captain shut down the affected engine and returned to land as a precautionary measure. "On June 19, 2022, SpiceJet B737-800 aircraft was operating SG-723 (Patna-Delhi). On take-off, during rotation, the cockpit crew suspected a bird hit Engine #1. As a precautionary measure and as per SOP, the Captain shut down the affected engine and decided to return to Patna,” the statement said.

SpiceJet flight caught fire due to bird hit: DGCA

Hours after the Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight made an emergency landing at the Patna airport, the DGCA issued a statement regarding the incident, revealing the cause of the fire. As per the statement, the flight had to return after it was hit by a bird, after which, one of the engines stopped working mid-air, prompting the flight to return back. 

The flight took off in the morning and at around 12:10 PM, the authorities noticed that its left engine had caught fire. Notably, incidents of bird hits have been rising despite making several attempts to keep birds away from flight routes. In cases of bird strikes on runways, it prompts the aircraft to apply emergency brakes, while on the other hand, planes have to opt for an emergency landing in case it is in the air. 

Image: ANI