NEW DELHI: Imagine approaching a two-runway airport to land on and the pilots not being sure which airstrip to touch down on! This is what happened with the crew operating an IndiGo Mumbai-Male flight last February. The pilots saw a cross mark on the runway they were approaching to land on, indicating that the airstrip is under construction. They performed a go-around and safely landed on the correct runway in the second attempt.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation conducted a probe into this incident of February 3, 2019, and on Tuesday made the report available which shows “inadequate flight planning by the operating crew despite (both these pilots) operating for the first time to Male” and “incomplete information given” to the pilots by the airline’s dispatch.
“The operating crew was aware of the existence of an under-construction runway parallel to the existing active runway. However, there was confusion regarding the actual runway in use during approach and crew made an approach to the under construction runway. At about 12 feet radio height, the PIC (pilot in command) not being convinced that the runway to which they are approaching is the active runway carried out a missed approach. The aircraft later made a normal approach and landed at Male” by 5.36 pm (Indian time), says the DGCA report.
