DGCA grounds three aircraft for safety violations

Affected carriers are Air India, GoAir and A R Airways, a non-scheduled operator

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has grounded three aircraft of Air India, GoAir and a non-scheduled operator (NSOP) over alleged safety lapses.

A source in the DGCA informed three aircraft, including two Airbus A-320s and a Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ), had been grounded.

An Airbus A-320 of Air India was grounded as the carrier had not done a mandatory second check of the cowl or covering of the right-side engine, repaired several weeks ago for a dent. The carpets in the interior were found torn and could affect movement of passengers, specially in an emergency.

The second Airbus A-320 of GoAir was grounded after it was found a number of screws and bolts of its right-side air-conditioning panel were loose and not properly fixed. This could have caused an in-flight safety problem. The door seal of the aircraft’s nose-gear was found not properly sealed. The aircraft manual, a mandatory document for pilots, was also not updated. An 18-seater CRJ of A R Airways was grounded as the life-raft container panel was found jammed. Two cabin crew members did not have proper training, it was found.

A senior official in DGCA said these aircraft would be released only after their owners rectified the defects found. The two airlines and the private operator have also been asked to explain how such defects were not rectified.

In the first half of the current calendar year, the DGCA conducted 55 special surveillance drives that led to the grounding of 14 aircraft during the period.