DGCA to probe IndiGo flight engine blow-up at Kolkata airport
Times of India | 1 September 2024
A video clip by a flyer that shows sparks flying out of the engine KOLKATA: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will investigate the engine failure incident of an IndiGo flight during take-off on Friday night that led to the roll-out of full emergency procedures at Kolkata airport. TOI had reported the incident on Saturday. A passenger who was recording the take-off captured the 'mini explosion' in the left engine followed by fire-like sparks emitting from it.There were 174 passengers on board the aircraft that landed safely on one engine. TOI has access to the video that captured the engine blow-out.
"I was taking a video of Kolkata from the sky when I heard an explosion and saw the wing light up. There were flames and sparks flying out of the engine. The pilot made an announcement that we were returning to Kolkata as the plane had encountered a technical snag," said Nilanjan Das, who was headed to Bengaluru with his wife and son on flight 6E 0573. Flyer Gourab Dey said the explosion was heard minutes after the plane took off from at 10.36 pm.
Airport officials confirmed that the left engine had failed, forcing the plane to return. While a plane is capable of operating on only one engine, pilots said the loss of an engine during take-off is a challenge as there is a loss of thrust that is critical at the time. Following the blow-out, the pilot contacted Kolkata ATC at 10.38 pm. The plane landed at 10.53 pm and headed to parking bay 15.
"After the engine failure report, the runway was inspected, first between 10.45 pm and 10.49 pm, and again between 10.58 pm and 11.01 pm after it landed to check if there was any metal scrap or debris from the engine that had fallen off. Nothing was found," the official said. The airline arranged for an alternate aircraft that departed with 161 passengers at 2.28 am on Saturday. Thirteen passengers decided not to travel.