Did Jet Airways pilots put many in danger? Suspended for landing with 'insufficient' fuel

Two Jet Airways pilots, who were flying a Boeing plane carrying 142 passengers and eight crew members from Doha to Kochi with an almost empty fuel tank, were suspended by the aviation regulator on Tuesday.

 

The Times of India reports that the flight had tried unsuccessfully to land six times in two different cities before it landed in Kerala's capital city, Thiruvananthapuram.

 

The report says that at the time of landing the flight had only 270-kg of fuel which was just enough to fly for three more minutes. This is against a mandatory requirement of 1,500-kg of fuel along with alternative fuel.

 

One of the suspended pilots is reportedly a Keralite, Manoj Kumar Rama Warrier.

 

DGCA officials have told various media outlets that the aircraft tried to land in Kochi thrice, but due to bad weather, heavy rain and low cloud cover it could not do so. The plane was asked to divert to Bangalore airport that was closest to Kochi airport, but the pilot reportedly chose to go to Thiruvananthapuram that was further away.

 

DGCA also reportedly said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which functions under the Civil Aviation ministry, will probe the incident and also will enquire why the flight went to Thiruvananthapuram when it was directed to fly to Bangalore. The DGCA officials also said that they cannot recall any such incidents in near past.