SpiceJet Technician Rohit Pandey, Killed During Aircraft Maintenance at Kolkata Airport, Was Not Trained and Worked Without Supervision: DGCA
Rohit Pandey died at the Kolkata airport on July 9 while servicing an aircraft at Kolkata airport. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has completed its probe into the accident that claimed the life of 22-year-old technician.
Kolkata, July 27: Rohit Pandey, the SpiceJet engineer who died at the Kolkata airport after getting stuck in the plane's landing gear door earlier this month, was untrained and working without any supervision, an investigation by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revealed. Pandey died at the Kolkata airport on July 9 while servicing an aircraft at Kolkata airport. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has completed its probe into the accident that claimed the life of 22-year-old technician. SpiceJet Technician Dies After Being Trapped in Landing Gear Door of Aircraft at Kolkata Airport.
The DGCA informed that lack of proper training, unsupervised maintenance and the airline not adhering to "basic maintenance practices" led to SpiceJet technician losing his life after getting stuck in the Bombardier Q400's main landing gear door. It was on July 7, that a SpiceJet flight SG-3218 on Kolkata-Silchar sector had taxied out from apron at 3: 35 PM IST and returned to bay no. 32 at 3: 55 PM IST due to snag in Yaw Damper unit. The aircraft was parked for trouble shooting and rectification. DGCA Suspends Flying License of Two Pilots of SpiceJet and One From Air India For Violating Safety Norms.
According to reports, the rectification could not be completed by licensed engineers (AMEs) during the day shift and the task was carried forward for rectification by the engineers during the night shift. It was during this time that the AME while attending to another snag on the same aircraft ("Intermittent Take-off warning"), pressurized the aircraft hydraulic systems to check the movement of flaps and spoilers.
On pressurization of the Hydraulic System, the right hand (RH) landing gear door closed resulting in the trapping of Pandey, who was carrying out layover inspection inside the right hand (RH) main wheel aft door. Pandey was taken out by cutting the doors and was declared dead by the attending doctor.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 27, 2019 02:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).