Days after one of SpiceJet’s planes made an emergency landing at Hyderabad airport owing to smoke in the cabin, the aviation regulator DGCA on Monday, October 17 ordered the troubled airline to conduct an analysis of engine oil samples from its Q400 fleet and other checks.
The carrier has also been tasked by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to examine the bleed-off valve screen and casing for signs of oil wetness.
Among the other directives are the boroscopic inspection of all Q400 engines that are in operation within a week, the immediate inspection of Magnetic Chip Detectors (MCD), the drawing of engine oil samples for analysis every 15 days, and the inspection of the bleed-off valve screen and housing for signs of oil wetness in weekly check.
The airline operates a fleet of 14 Q400 planes and they have 28 PW 150A engines.
The recent instructions also come at a time when SpiceJet is already the subject of increased DGCA surveillance. The regulator reduced the maximum number of flights that the airline could fly to 50% on July 27 in response to a string of mishaps involving the airline’s planes.
The curbs were extended last month till October 29. The DGCA said in a statement on Monday that it was closely monitoring the situation and would take all necessary steps to prevent any undesirable incidents.
Following an incident of smoke in the cabin, a SpiceJet flight from Goa made an emergency landing at Hyderabad airport on October 12.
The regulator has directed that engine oil samples be collected and sent to Pratt & Whitney Canada for PW150A oil analysis technology. This is to determine the “presence of metal and carbon seal particles,” and the carrier must also inspect the bleed-off valve screen and housing for evidence of oil wetness.
Apart from the Hyderabad incident, the DGCA stated that there had been a similar incident in the recent past involving the PWC 150A engine, which had also visited Standard Aero-Singapore for overhaul.
In light of this, SpiceJet has been directed that “no engine shall be sent to Standard Aero-Singapore till the investigation is completed,” according to the statement. Following a thorough investigation, the DGCA has recommended a number of additional measures.
The Q400 plane carrying 86 passengers made an emergency landing at Hyderabad airport on October 12. All of the passengers were safely evacuated. The airline has been dealing with operational and financial challenges in recent months.
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