DGCA suspends SpiceJet pilot for 6 months for ignoring Co-pilot's input

New Delhi, Aug 20: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended the license of a SpiceJet pilot for six months for ignoring the co-pilot's input during a Mumbai-Durgapur flight in May that resulted in injuries to a few passengers.

A senior DGCA official confirmed that the regulator has suspended the licence of the pilot-in-command (PIC) of the SpiceJet flight for six months after he ignored a co-pilot's warning to skirt the clouds and flew the plane into severe turbulence.

According to reports, a Boeing B737 aircraft travelling from Mumbai to Durgapur on May 1 had encountered severe turbulence during the descent that left 14 passengers and three crew members injured.

Notably, a total of 195 persons were aboard the aircraft including two pilots and four cabin crew members. The aircraft took off from Mumbai at approximately 5.13 pm.

After the incident, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia assured that the matter was being dealt with utmost seriousness and that more details on the cause will be shared once the probe is complete. "The turbulence encountered by a flight while landing in Durgapur, and the damage caused to the passengers is unfortunate. The @DGCAIndia has deputed a team to investigate the incident. The matter is being dealt with utmost seriousness & deftness," he had tweeted. "More details on the cause(s) will be shared once the investigation is completed."

In a separate case, the DGCA also suspended the license of a pilot of a charter airplane for one month in a false fuel emergency case.

On October 19, 2021, the pilot flying a charter plane from Bokaro to Ranchi had falsely declared a low fuel emergency to get priority landing as he wanted to avoid hovering period, reported ANI.