The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe in which fuselage door warnings lit up on two separate Spicejet planes while taking off on Friday and Saturday, forcing the aircraft to abandon their journeys and return. There have been a total of four incidents -- including the aforementioned two -- on SpiceJet flights during the last week. According to DGCA officials, the regulator is probing all four incidents.
The fuselage is the central body of the aircraft where passengers and crew members sit. On June 19, an engine on SpiceJet's Delhi-bound aircraft carrying 185 passengers caught fire soon after taking off from the Patna airport and the plane made an emergency landing minutes later. The engine malfunctioned because of a bird hit.
In another incident on June 19, a SpiceJet flight for Jabalpur had to return to Delhi due to cabin pressurization issues.
Officials said on Friday (June 24), the fuselage warning light on a SpiceJet Q400 plane illuminated when it was on 'rotation' -- when pilots pitched the nose of the aircraft up to climb in the air during take-off.
The pilots of the Q400 aircraft, which was heading from Guwahati to Kolkata, found that the warning was coming from the baggage door at the rear end of the plane, the officials said.
The Q400 plane was leveled off at 5,000 feet and the pilots decided to return to Guwahati, the officials noted.
An incident similar to the Friday one took place on SpiceJet's Patna-Guwahati flight on Saturday (June 25). A SpiceJet Q400 aircraft stopped its take-off roll at the Patna airport on Saturday after the plane's fuselage door warning light lit up, officials noted.
In this case, too, it was found that the warning had come from the baggage door at the rear end of the aircraft, they said. The Q400 plane returned to the parking bay of the Patna airport after canceling its take-off, officials noted.
Regarding the Friday incident, SpiceJet said that "Q400 aircraft was operating flight SG-4126, sector Guwahati-Kolkata".At rotation, the fuselage door warning light was illuminated and take-off was continued. Subsequently, aircraft was leveled off at 5,000 feet and pilot-in-command decided to return back to Guwahati," it mentioned.
Air turn back was initiated in coordination with ATC (air traffic controller) and the aircraft landed safely at Guwahati, it said. Regarding the Saturday incident, the airline said, "SpiceJet Q400 aircraft was operating flight SG-3724, sector Patna-Guwahati. During the takeoff roll, the fuselage door warning light illuminated. Subsequently, the take-off was rejected and aircraft returned to bay."
