AIRCRAFT ENGINE FAILURES IN 2017 SPIKE TO HIGHEST FOR SIX YEARS

NEWDELHI: As many as 15 passenger jets of Indian airliners suffered midflight engine damage, according to the civil aviation regulator’s data till August this year.

The numbers are the highest for six years and put to question aviation safety in the country.

The scariest perhaps are the two occasions when an engine caught fire during take-off. In another case, the high-pressure turbine blade of an engine came off, missing the tank loaded with highly combustible aviation fuel by a whisker.

“All three cases were of serious nature as anything could have happened to the aircraft. The passengers had a narrow escape,” an official in the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

Flights with a blown engine are guided to the nearest airport for an emergency landing in accordance with the safety protocol.

The six-year data obtained through the right to information law show only seven aircraft reported engine snags during flights in 2016.

“An aircraft is inspected before passenger boarding. There are instances of flaws getting detected during inspection. In such cases, we ground the plane,” the official said. “But if a snag develops after take-off, during landing or whilst the plane is airborne and cruising, it is serious.”

Of the 15 cases so far this year, seven engines were manufactured by CFM International, an American-European joint venture that has both Airbus and Boeing on its client list.