IndiGo pilots followed all standard checklist procedures before making a safe landing in Srinagar after a flight encountered a hailstorm and severe turbulence en route from Delhi on Wednesday.
The aircraft was near Pathankot when the crew requested a leftward deviation from Northern Control due to adverse weather, according to a statement by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
This request, which involved a potential route near the international border, was not approved. A subsequent request to Lahore ATC for airspace access was also declined, the carrier said, adding that the crew initially considered returning but decided to continue through the weather as they were already near the thunderstorm.
According to sources, Indian Air Force Air Traffic Control officers alerted the pilots of the IndiGo aircraft of the presence of a ban on overflights over Pakistan when the cockpit crew asked to divert West to avoid the storm front. Subsequently, IAF flight controllers helped provide the pilots the frequency of Lahore Air Traffic Control to the pilot. Permission to overfly Pakistan was denied by Lahore ATC.
During the flight, the aircraft encountered severe turbulence and hailstorm, which triggered multiple warnings including Angle of Attack fault, loss of Alternate Law protection and unreliable speed scale, the statement said.
The autopilot disconnected due to strong updrafts and downdrafts, and the aircraft experienced large speed variations, stall warnings, and a rate of descent reaching 8,500 feet per minute. The crew manually flew the aircraft through the turbulence and exited the weather zone. After completing all cockpit checklists, they declared a "PAN PAN" emergency and requested radar vectors from Srinagar ATC.
The aircraft landed safely in Srinagar with the auto thrust functioning normally. There were no injuries reported among the 227 passengers and crew.
On Wednesday, the Airport Authority of India confirmed the safe arrival of flight at 6:30 p.m. in Srinagar and noted that all onboard were unharmed, the statement said, adding that the incident is under investigation by the DGCA.
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