Click to play videoNew Delhi: Airline regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended the rating of a Jet Airways senior pilot who broke all navigation rules on a Delhi -Mumbai flight.
On October 20, Jet Airways flight 9W 332 from Delhi was coming in to land at Mumbai Airport. At 3700 feet, flying above Andheri, the senior pilot yanked off a circuit breaker to test the commander's piloting capabilities.
All navigational aids shut down, including the all important Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System. As the plane flew over Andheri, there was no way pilots could tell how close they were to the ground.
The Jet plane landed safely without navigational aids, since pilots are trained in manual landing.
However, a serious breach of regulations had been committed.
Airline regulator DGCA has suspended the rating of the senior pilot pending an inquiry. The commander and co-pilot have also been derostered
Pilot training exercises are always done in a simulator or a test flight, never with passengers aboard.
Preliminary investigations show the aircraft was descending at over 1000 ft per minute – faster than normal.
Manufacturers Boeing and Airbus have a strict policy against use of circuit-breakers during flight - unless there is an emergency.
The DGCA has issued instructions to all airlines prohibiting them from carrying out such exercises with passengers aboard.
(With inputs from Varun Kumar)
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