For the second time in as many days, engine troubles on the Airbus 320 Neo returned to haunt GoAir with a Guwahati-Kolkata flight carrying 132 passengers being grounded after one engine stalled mid-air.
Officials said the aircraft reported a loud bang and vibrations followed by the engine stalling. While the airline did not confirm this, officials said passengers had also reported a tailpipe fire. On December 22, an Airbus Neo had made a turn back to Mumbai after taking off for Chandigarh. The same aircraft had not operated a flight from Nagpur to Mumbai on December 21.
“GoAir flight G8-546 from Guwahati to Kolkata did an air turn back due to a technical glitch. After turn back, the flight landed safely at Guwahati airport. The aircraft is being inspected and rectified by the GoAir engineering team. Alternative flight arrangements are being explored to accommodate the passengers to their destination,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the incident took place around 11.17 a.m., and the pilot of GoAir flight requested for a return to Guwahati due to a minor technical problem. “The pilot landed back the flight at 11.29 a.m. at Guwahati airport,” a DGCA official said.
Blades damaged
Officials informed that, on inspection, blades of the engine had been found to be damaged.
The aviation regulator said it would check engines that have clocked over 3,000 hours. “Our teams are carrying out precautionary checks on engines, which have flown for over 3,000 hours,” the DGCA official said.
