MUMBAI: In two incidents involving SpiceJet flights on Tuesday, the outer pane of the cockpit windshield of a turbo prop aircraft from Kandla cracked mid-air, forcing the pilots to carry out a priority landing in Mumbai, while a suspected fuel leak led to a Delhi-Dubai flight being diverted to Karachi.
SpiceJet flight SG3324 departed Kandla in Gujarat around 1.40pm and was at 23,000 feet en route to Mumbai when the incident occurred. An official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the outer pane of the cockpit window on the co-pilot's side had developed a crack. An airline spokesperson said the Bombardier Q400 aircraft (VT-SUV) did not have pressurisation problem and landed safely in the city.
Boeing 737 makes normal landing in Karachi
On Tuesday morning, a SpiceJet Boeing 737 aircraft, operating flight SG-011 from Delhi to Dubai with nearly 160 on board, was diverted to Karachi after the cockpit crew suspected a fuel leak from one of the wing fuel tanks.
"An indicator light had malfunctioned. No emergency was declared and the aircraft made a normal landing," said a SpiceJet spokesperson.
According to a DGCA official, the crew observed unusual fuel quantity reduction in the left tank. "They carried out the relevant non-normal checklist. However, the fuel quantity kept decreasing. The pilot-in-command decided to divert the aircraft to Karachi. In the post-flight inspection, no visual leak was observed from the left main tank," the official said.
The incidents come days after a SpiceJet Bombardier Q400, operating a Delhi to Jabalpur flight on July 2, had to be diverted back to Delhi due to smoke in the cabin. tnn
