Pakistan denies permission to IndiGo plane stranded in storm
NEW DELHI : A domestic flight from Delhi to Srinagar went through a chaotic situation on Wednesday when the IndiGo plane faced heavy hailstorm and severe turbulence. The plane was issued multiple warnings.
The plane had to descend at a rate of 8,500 feet per minute after its request for an emergency route through Pakistani airspace was rejected. Lahore ATC did not allow the IndiGo plane to enter its airspace despite the request citing bad weather.
Aviation regulator DGCA on Friday said the pilot of the IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar had sought permission to enter Pakistan airspace to avoid bad weather but the request was rejected. Giving details about the incident, the DGCA said none of the passengers on board the plane suffered any injuries.
The details suggest that the plane faced a serious in-flight emergency after flying into an intense storm. Details announced by civil aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) show that the pilots grappled with multiple cockpit warnings and equipment failures after entering the hailstorm. At one point, the IndiGo A321neo plane operating as Flight 6E-2142 descended by 8,500 feet per minute. The normal rate of descent is 1,500 to 3,000 feet per minute.
According to reports, the plane, carrying over 220 passengers, including members of Parliament, was at an altitude of 36,000 feet when it got stuck in adverse weather conditions near Pathankot, close to the India-Pakistan border. According to the crew statement, the flight crew identified very bad weather ahead and made an urgent request to the Indian Air Force Northern Control for a left deviation, which would have led the plane into Pakistani airspace for some time. That request was denied.
Following this, the flight crew directly contacted Lahore Air Traffic Control and sought approval to enter Pakistani airspace for a brief period to avoid the storm system. This request was also rejected. With limited options and a fast-approaching storm, the pilots initially considered returning to Delhi. However, by then, the aircraft had already reached very close to the approaching clouds. Given the proximity and potential hazards, the crew decided to directly penetrate the weather to proceed towards Srinagar.
According to sources, when the cockpit crew asked to divert the aircraft towards the west to avoid the storm, IAF air traffic control officials alerted the pilots of the IndiGo aircraft about the presence of a ban on flying over Pakistan. Following this, IAF flight controllers helped the pilots by providing the frequency of Lahore Air Traffic Control. Lahore ATC refused to grant permission to fly over Pakistan.
Inside the storm
Inside the storm, the aircraft faced severe hail impact and violent turbulence. Several critical systems began to malfunction. Initial assessments confirmed that the plane had an angle of attack (AOA) malfunction while alternate law protection was lost. These failures were triggered by the plane’s flight control systems as the aircraft was tossed vertically by intense updrafts and downdrafts. Amidst this chaos, the autopilot stopped working. The crew was forced to assume full manual control under rapidly fluctuating airspeed indications and extreme stress.
At one point, the plane began a rapid descent at a rate of 8,500 feet per minute. The crisis was further compounded by multiple warnings. The pilots relied on manual flying skills to keep the jet stable until it moved out of the weather system. The plane continued to head in the same direction towards Srinagar to ride out the storm. Sensing the danger, the crew gave a ‘pan pan’ message. Usually, ‘pan pan’ is used in the context of an emergency situation. It is derived from the French word ‘pan’, meaning failure or difficulty
Explanation of the warning
A malfunction of the angle of attack (AoA) sensor, possibly from hail or ice, can disrupt the stall warning system, which alerts pilots with lights, sounds or vibrations. This is the moment when the angle of the wing to the airflow is at risk of a stall, where the plane loses lift and control. After the autopilot system tripped, the pilots manually flew the jetliner to Srinagar, declared an emergency and made a safe landing.
