After smoke in cabin, DGC orders SpiceJet to examine Q400 fleet

Days after one in every of SpiceJet’s Bombardier Q400 turboprop plane made an emergency touchdown at Hyderabad brought on by smoke within the cabin, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Monday directed SpiceJet to hold out evaluation of engine oil samples from its Q400 fleet and a slew of different inspections.

The newest instructions additionally come at a time when SpiceJet is already underneath the improved surveillance of DGCA. Following a spate of incidents involving the airline’s planes, the regulator, on July 27, capped the utmost flights that may be operated by it to 50 per cent.

Last month, the curbs have been prolonged until October 29. “DGCA is keeping a close watch on the situation and shall take all appropriate action to avert any untoward incident,” it stated in an announcement on Monday.

Spicejet plane VT-SQB was concerned in an incident of ‘smoke in cabin’ throughout descent necessitating an emergency touchdown at Hyderabad. The passengers have been safely evacuated with the help of cabin crew and airport workers: DGCA pic.twitter.com/amZwtrKNQK

— ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2022

On October 12, a SpiceJet aircraft coming from Goa made an emergency touchdown at Hyderabad airport following the incident of smoke within the cabin.

The regulator has requested the airline to take the engine oil samples and ship them to Pratt & Whitney Canada for PW150A oil evaluation expertise. This is to determine if there’s “presence of metal and carbon seal particles”.

DGCA additionally identified that aside from the Hyderabad incident, there was additionally the same incident within the latest previous involving the PWC 150A engine, which had additionally store visited Standard Aero-Singapore for overhaul. In this context, SpiceJet has been directed that “no engine shall be sent to Standard Aero-Singapore till the investigation is completed”.

After analyzing the matter intimately, the DGCA has known as for varied further measures. There have been 86 passengers onboard the Q400 aircraft that made the emergency touchdown at Hyderabad airport on October 12. All the passengers have been evacuated safely. In latest months, the airline has been grappling with operational and monetary headwinds.