NEW DELHI: An aircraft landing with a thud and then bouncing precariously on the runway has led to alarm bells ringing in the aviation safety circles. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) made this startling find while probing a risky landing by an Air India Express plane at the table-top Mangalore runway this June. Operating on Mumbai-Mangalore as IX 208, the Boeing 737 bounced five times immediately after touching down at this critical runway. While the aircraft landed almost like last May's ill-fated AI Express Dubai-Mangalore flight that crashed and left 158 people dead, the co-pilot's presence of mind helped avert a repeat of the disaster.
DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan has summoned AI top brass on Monday to issue a stern wake up call on certain safety issues long ignored by the national carrier, failing which serious action could be taken against the Maharaja. The miraculous escape happened on June 25, 2011, when AI Express' Boeing 737-800 (VT-AXU) touched down after possibly crossing a substantial part of the table-top runway. The plane's "exceedance numerical report" based on its flight data recorder shows that its nose and both left and right wheels were in air at 13.47.41 hours and then its rear wheels touched down a second later. The dangerous bouncing action began just then. At 13.47.43, the nose and rear wheels were on ground. But the thud with which it landed saw the aircraft's front wheel going up again the next second. And then over the next three seconds, it saw the rear right go up; then all three on ground and then rear going up again! Finally, the rear and front wheels came on ground at 13.47.48.
But the trouble for the aircraft did not end there. The commander (Captain S S Hothi) inadvertently pressed the take off go around (TOGA) button which meant that auto brakes got disconnected and the reverse thrusters (that reverse wind flow in engine to slow down plane) did not deploy. As a result, the aircraft was hurtling at a high speed on the table-top runway with the aircraft in take-off mode. When the first officer saw that the commander is struggling to operate reversers, he applied manual brakes as deceleration was inadequate," said sources.
Both the pilots were grounded after this incident. AI Express chief operating officer S Chandrakumar said that following the inquiry by the airline's permanent investigation board, the co-pilot is back flying again as he took the right corrective steps that day.
DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan has summoned AI top brass on Monday to issue a stern wake up call on certain safety issues long ignored by the national carrier, failing which serious action could be taken against the Maharaja. The miraculous escape happened on June 25, 2011, when AI Express' Boeing 737-800 (VT-AXU) touched down after possibly crossing a substantial part of the table-top runway. The plane's "exceedance numerical report" based on its flight data recorder shows that its nose and both left and right wheels were in air at 13.47.41 hours and then its rear wheels touched down a second later. The dangerous bouncing action began just then. At 13.47.43, the nose and rear wheels were on ground. But the thud with which it landed saw the aircraft's front wheel going up again the next second. And then over the next three seconds, it saw the rear right go up; then all three on ground and then rear going up again! Finally, the rear and front wheels came on ground at 13.47.48.
But the trouble for the aircraft did not end there. The commander (Captain S S Hothi) inadvertently pressed the take off go around (TOGA) button which meant that auto brakes got disconnected and the reverse thrusters (that reverse wind flow in engine to slow down plane) did not deploy. As a result, the aircraft was hurtling at a high speed on the table-top runway with the aircraft in take-off mode. When the first officer saw that the commander is struggling to operate reversers, he applied manual brakes as deceleration was inadequate," said sources.
Both the pilots were grounded after this incident. AI Express chief operating officer S Chandrakumar said that following the inquiry by the airline's permanent investigation board, the co-pilot is back flying again as he took the right corrective steps that day.
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