IndiGo flight lands in Srinagar after pilot's quick thinking saves 227 passengers; Lahore denies involvement

A flight of IndiGo (6E-2142) from Srinagar to New Delhi made a safe landing on the night of May 21 after passing through a treacherous storm. The aircraft attempted to divert to the Indo-Pak international border as the weather was bad, but was denied permission by Northern Air Traffic Control (ATC) of the Indian Air Force and subsequently by Lahore ATC. As per a statement released by the DGCA, the plane was safely landed in Srinagar airport at 6:30 pm but had been badly damaged in its nose (radome). Videos and photos of this hour are becoming viral on social media, where the aircraft is seen shaking very quickly. The cries and terror of children and passengers reflect the horror of this event. 

Aircraft struck by hazardous storm

The aircraft had departed from Delhi for Srinagar and was cruising at 36,000 feet in the vicinity of Pathankot in Punjab when it was struck by a ferocious storm and hailstorm. The weather was very bad and the plane was hit by abnormal turbulence.

First Northern, then Lahore requested ATC permission

The flight crew initially asked the Northern ATC to permit the aircraft to make a diversion to Pakistan in order to steer clear of the storm. This zone was sensitive as the Indo-Pak operation 'Sindoor' had been carried out recently. The Northern ATC rejected the request.Thereafter, the pilot asked for clearance from Lahore ATC to proceed to Pakistani airspace for a brief while, but it was rejected from there as well. 

Going back to Delhi was not possible with safety

As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilots had thought about going back to Delhi, but by that time they had already reached very close to the 'Thunderstorm Cloud'. Going back to Delhi would have been unsafe. That is why the pilot kept flying towards Srinagar with the shortest and quickest route.

Plane flies in the middle of the storm

During the turbulence, the plane experienced "extreme updrafts and downdrafts", which caused the autopilot system to shut down and the speed of the plane to fluctuate. "Whenever the plane was in a storm cloud, warnings including angle of attack fault, alternate law protection lost, and unreliable airspeed indication were activated," said the statement. 

Plane descends 8,500 feet in minutes

The aircraft was flying at a rate of 8,500 feet per minute at one point, said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).During this hour of need, the pilot flew the plane in manual mode rather than autopilot and gradually took it out of the storm.

The aircraft landed safely after declaring a Mayday

The Srinagar ATC instantly initiated radar vectoring and instructed the pilot to land. The plane eventually landed safely at Srinagar airport with no casualties. The auto thrust system was operating within normal parameters while landing, according to the DGCA. A full inquiry has been initiated into the incident.