DGCA grounds pilot who issued ‘Mayday’ distress call due to low fuel
Aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday grounded a pilot who issued a ‘Mayday’ distress call due to low-fuel near Lucknow airport on Monday while operating a Mumbai-Delhi flight.
A senior Vistara official confirmed to PTI that the pilot has been “de-rostered” as per the instructions of the regulator.
“The pilot who was operating UK944 flight and issued a ‘Mayday’ call on Monday has been suspended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),” another source said.
A Vistara spokesperson said, “Flight UK944 operating Mumbai-Delhi on July 15, 2019, initiated a diversion to Lucknow due to bad weather over Delhi. However, over Lucknow, the visibility suddenly dropped and a safe landing was not possible. The crew then considered alternative airfields, including Kanpur and Prayagraj to land in comparatively better weather condition”.
