The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday said it has launched an investigation after an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar encountered severe turbulence and hailstorm conditions mid-air and confirmed that Pakistan had refused to allow the aircraft to enter its airspace to avoid adverse weather.
The IndiGo flight 6E-2142, operated by an Airbus A321 Neo, was cruising at 36,000 feet near Pathankot when the crew requested a deviation due to threatening weather patterns ahead. After being denied a leftward diversion by Northern Control (IAF), the crew reached out to Lahore ATC seeking entry into Pakistani airspace. This request was also refused.
With no viable route around the storm, and an attempt to turn back proving risky due to proximity to thunderclouds, the crew decided to proceed through the weather. What followed was a dangerous encounter with a hailstorm and severe turbulence, which caused multiple critical system warnings on board.
“During the ordeal, the aircraft’s autopilot disengaged and speed readings became unreliable. The flight experienced dramatic altitude variations, with a peak rate of descent reaching 8,500 feet per minute. Warnings included loss of Alternate Law protection, Angle of Attack fault, stall warnings and VMO/MMO exceedance alerts,” a DGCA official said.
A purported video from inside the flight went viral on social media in which passengers and children could be heard screaming and crying in distress as the aircraft shook violently after getting caught in the storm. Later, images of a broken nose of the aircraft also took social media by storm leaving everyone wondering about the safety of the passengers.
