3 Indigo pilots did not report A320neo problems, grounded

NEWDELHI: India’s aviation regulator has suspended at least three pilots and two engineers of Indigo, the airline run by Interglobe Aviation Ltd, for not reporting incidents of engine vibrations in Airbus A320s fitted with Pratt & Whitney’s Neo engines, according to a senior official with direct knowledge of the development.

Three incidents, dating back to March, came to light after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation or DGCA carried out an audit of the airline between April 15 and April 18, said the official, who requested anonymity. The suspensions have been ordered since.

One incident took place during an Amritsar-guwahati flight that was headed by Captain Krishna Arjun Reddy. DGCA’S audit found that “the flight crew did not follow the correct procedure of abnormal checklist for High N2 vibrations”.

The vibrations, above prescribed limits, officials said, were caused by Low Pressure TurNEWDELHI: There is no sign of the retreat of the southwest monsoon, the main rain-bearing weather pattern in the subcontinent, in the next few days, the Met department said. Usually, the monsoon starts withdrawing in the first week of September but this has been delayed by more than two weeks this year. “The withdrawal is not expected immediately. We are not meeting the retreat criteria... We do not have any indication for retreat to begin in next five days,” said K Sathi Devi, National Weather Forecasting Centre.