Mid-Air Turbulence: SpiceJet Flight Crew Taken Off Roster, Aircraft Grounded

Kolkata: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has pulled up SpiceJet for the turbulence-related incident on Sunday.

The two pilots and members of crew on duty have been taken off the roster and the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, has been grounded in Kolkata, reported India Today.

DGCA has also de-rostered the aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) who released the aircraft and person in-charge of the Maintenance Control Centre of SpiceJet, pending investigation which is already underway.

Inspection of all planes in the SpiceJet domestic fleet is being carried out as part of a regulatory measure.

SpiceJet flight SG-945, travelling from Mumbai to Durgapur (West Bengal), was caught in a storm while descending on Sunday evening. Those on board experienced major turbulence, and although the flight managed to land safely at its destination, several passengers and crew members sustained head, spine, shoulder, forehead and face injuries.

Three passengers had to be hospitalized, with two of them being in ICU.

Apart from taking the flight crew off the roster, the civil aviation regulator also off-rostered the aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) who released the aircraft and the person in-charge of the Maintenance Control Centre of SpiceJet, pending investigation.