Probe launched after 2 IndiGo planes come dangerously close after plane’s wrong turn
The two aircraft involved in the incident were an Airbus A321 with registration VT-IUO, and an Airbus A320 (VT-ISO)
Indian aviation authorities are investigating an incident involving two IndiGo Airbus airplanes that came seriously close to each other shortly after taking off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. This happened on November 17, 2023, raising worries about safety rules. The incident is getting attention now because of recent reports.
According to the preliminary reports from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the two aircraft involved in the incident were an Airbus A321 with registration VT-IUO, and an Airbus A320 (VT-ISO), both deployed on domestic services to Hyderabad and Raipur, respectively. The proximity between the planes breached the minimum separation required for safe operations, categorizing it as a “serious incident” under investigation.
“At the time of the closest vertical separation (400 feet), lateral separation was 1.2 nautical miles (between the two planes). At the time of the closest lateral separation (0.2 nautical miles), vertical separation was 800 feet,” the AAIB stated, highlighting the breach of established safety norms.
ICAO standards mandate a minimum vertical separation of 1,000 feet for aircraft flying below 29,000 feet under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), emphasizing the gravity of the breach.
The incident began when VT-IUO departed from Runway 27 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 12:31 PM, deviating from its assigned route towards the path of Runway 29R instead. Simultaneously, VT-ISO bound for Raipur received clearance to take off from Runway 29R and climb to an altitude of 4,000 feet. This worsened the proximity issue as both aircraft headed towards each other.
“The Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) in both cockpits got activated, and an alarm went off,” the reports indicated, underlining the critical nature of the situation.
This isn’t the first time such an incident has occurred. In 2022, IndiGo witnessed a similar near-miss situation involving two aircraft in Bengaluru.One of the flights departed for Kolkata and the other for Bhubaneshwar.
The incident was influenced by various factors, such as inadequate communication during a shift change, which led to air traffic control authorizing both aircraft to take off at the same time. This resulted in both planes being on a collision course, but fortunately, a controller intervened by assigning new headings to the aircraft, averting a potential disaster.
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