SpiceJet 737-800 Severe Turbulence 2022/05/01

[ldo]

CNN affiliate News18 reports that the autopilot function on the B737-800 aircraft stopped working for two minutes mid-flight, resulting in the crew manually flying the plane until it recovered.
As a result, the aircraft experienced dramatic turbulence, which caused some overhead bins to open, items to spill out across the plane and emergency oxygen masks to drop. Fifteen people -- 12 passengers and three crew members -- were hospitalized after the plane landed at Durgapur's Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (RDP).

Cause/effect unclear in the article. edition.cnn.com/travel/article/spicejet-flight-investigation-india/index.html (not enough posts to be able to add URLs)

[Uplinker]

Sounds as if written by a non technical person. Severe turbulence can cause the autopilot to "spit" the plane out and hand it to the humans to deal with, but I don't see how any pilot could cause severe turbulence by hand flying.

They could make you feel sick perhaps but not severe turbulence.

[Dont Hang Up]

Sounds as if written by a non technical person. Severe turbulence can cause the autopilot to "spit" the plane out and hand it to the humans to deal with, but I don't see how any pilot could cause severe turbulence by hand flying.

They could make you feel sick perhaps but not severe turbulence.
Suggest you Google "Larson cartoon turbulence"

[A0283]

www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61304965 (/www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61304965)

BBC report by a passenger, estimating 17 injured of which at least one serious, multiple pax hitting the ceiling multiple times,

Authorities mention A/P disengagement for 2 mins, and start of investigation,

passenger describes 15-17 mins from onset to end of event,

[WideScreen]

India and ignoring Fasten Seatbelt signs ? Does that happen there ?

[vilas]

The aircraft seems to have been caught up with thunderstorms. Present weather conditions are known as pre monsoon season in India marked by intense dry heat inland. Along the coastline movement of air from the sea gives rise to violent thunderstorms. Along the kolkota, Bhuvneshwar coastline it gives rise to self generating thunderstorms where down draught of dissipating storm triggers another. It happens in North Westerly direction and are called Norwesters. India is not known for tornadoes but these Norwesters can have tornadic violence. They are to be avoided at all costs. Whether these injured passengers were not properly strapped, was the announcement made giving time to strap only the Inquiry will reveal.

[Dropp the Pilot]

Both pilots on their phones
Radar set at +2 degrees tilt to avoid those annoying colors on the screen
passengers injured

Pilots say it was because of "clear air turbulence"

Nobody's fault then

[IcanCmyhousefromhere]

Dropp, if only you were joking but I know it is what you have seen. So many younger guys can’t put those damn phones down and don’t even look forward out of the window even on their handling leg. Actually, many don’t even put the radar on in IMC with forecast embedded TS. I could moan for hours about this. I’m going outside now to shout at clouds …

[PJ2]

In a serious incident and certainly after a crash, among the first items collected by investigators are all crew electronic devices.

Before phones, I recall on downwind & approach on which the other two crew members were comparing notes on kite-skiing on the wind-swept body of water 8000ft below. I told the PM to request a visual and we received the clearance. I disconnected everything, and the cockpit went dead quiet as the old guy hand-flew. Remark from the PM on taxi-in was, "I've never seen that done before...". I said, "I know; its time for you guys to pay attention inside".

Is there anyone out there still who offers this kind of teaching anymore? I was damn difficult to get anyone to actually fly the airplane twenty years ago. I can't image what it's like now. I'm told that texting while driving is like driving drunk. I've been 100% against cockpit video for all the reasons we know but sometimes I'm only 95% against...

[BoeingDriver99]

I am always puzzled by the pilots coming on here to complain about these 'young pilots' etc etc. You're the Captain of an airliner with legal duties and responsibilites and you can't set a cockpit environment were such behaviour isn't acceptable? You'd prefer to sit and stew and whinge on here rather than say anything to your junior colleague? It boggles my mind.

Also think about it; all of the training captains, training managers and pilot managers today are what; 40s 50s and older? They are the ones who dictate EVERYTHING in the airline which includes automation policy, training, hand-flying 'practise', etc etc etc. I think attitude is a reflection of leadership and the leadership in many airline pilot's training and management is severly lacking. So is it any wonder that younger pilots behave that way?

Regarding the event; there's a reasonable chance their licenes were falsified so they may not have had any training in how to fly. Or it was a PIO gone very bad. Or CAT. I wouldn't hold your breath though...

[IcePack]

Captain of an airliner with legal duties and responsibilites and you can't set a cockpit environment were such behaviour isn't acceptable?

you can blame how CRM has been taught for that.

[procede]

That was an extreme ride: Load factors between + 2.64 and -1.36g...

Accident: Spicejet B738 at Andal on May 1st 2022, turbulence injures passengers and cabin crew (http://avherald.com/h?article=4f836f40&opt=0)

[Dragon Baron]

Sounds pretty spicy. I had a severe TAPS event once, 1.8g / -0.7g, I'd class it as the worst turbulence of my career. It was the only time the Airbus AP disconnected and dumped the jet on me in 7 years.

[Lonewolf_50]

That was an extreme ride: Load factors between + 2.64 and -1.36g...
Accident: Spicejet B738 at Andal on May 1st 2022, turbulence injures passengers and cabin crew (http://avherald.com/h?article=4f836f40&opt=0)
A few points from the article.
1. None of the overhead lockers appear to have opened however.
2. ADS-B data suggest the aircraft was descending at about 3000 fpm through FL160 when the aircraft encountered sudden speed variations between 410 and 350 knots over ground associated with climb rates of up to 2000 fpm and descend rates of up to 3000 fpm.
3. A few hand rests were found fractured, a couple of oxygen mask compartments opened deploying the oxygen masks, some decorative panels of the cabin ceiling were damaged, one overhead locker lock was found fractured. Galley items were found distributed throughout the cabin.

[Klauss]

A few points from the article.
The sudden speed and vertical speed changes would probably occur in connection with convective activity. Not clear at all that the crew could have seen it coming .

[HKG_Refugee]

Certainly not if the were staring at their phones, or worse had news papers up.... I've seen it all with Indian carriers.

[WideScreen]

A few points from the article.
1. None of the overhead lockers appear to have opened however.
2. ADS-B data suggest the aircraft was descending at about 3000 fpm through FL160 when the aircraft encountered sudden speed variations between 410 and 350 knots over ground associated with climb rates of up to 2000 fpm and descend rates of up to 3000 fpm.
3. A few hand rests were found fractured, a couple of oxygen mask compartments opened deploying the oxygen masks, some decorative panels of the cabin ceiling were damaged, one overhead locker lock was found fractured. Galley items were found distributed throughout the cabin.

It's actually not the vertical speed that makes the mess, though, the acceleration, the change in vertical speed. Given the figures, I somehow get the impression of PIO, IE micro-controlling the aircraft with such a delay, that the control enlarges the next natural excursion. Or so to say, the control did get in phase with the natural deviations, instead of counter-phase.

The statement regarding galley items found throughout the cabin, is strange. Beyond TOD, the handed out trays, etc, should have been retrieved/stored in the trolleys, and the galley should have been kept in a "clean" state. IE, only a limited amount of items should have been lying around for direct use and the rest should have been locked in the storage containers. IE, only a limited amount of cling-clang-clack due to opening/closing the containers, what passengers consider disturbing galley noise (apart from the chatting).

[DaveReidUK]

Accident: Spicejet B738 at Andal on May 1st 2022, turbulence injures passengers and cabin crew (http://avherald.com/h?article=4f836f40&opt=0)

Daily scheduled flight from Mumbai to Durgapur Kazi Nazrul Islam (https://kniairport.com/) (RDP/VEDG).

[Klauss]

Certainly not if the were staring at their phones, or worse had news papers up.... I've seen it all with Indian carriers.

Hm. I haven´t seen any cockpit of an Indian carrier from the inside myself, but what you suggest goes against normal self preservation instincts.
I mean, they were on their way down , not so far from landing.... newspapers ? then ? Don´t think so.

[HKG_Refugee]

I have seen Indian aircraft after landing taxing with newspapers half covering their windows. I have a good friend that went to a Indian carrier and he had to tell his FO's not to put up news paper in flight. It's a very thing.

[FalseGS]

Meh. SpiceJet doesn’t provide reading material to passengers.
They’re flying eastbound during dusk.

Newspapers? Let’s make some educated guesses rather than jumping to some obviously prejudiced assumptions.

Spice has some serious issues. I will not dispute that. But people need to stop pulling out assumptions from their rear ends.

[CatFourD]

The Aeroplane flew again without checks after +2.6g! Spicejet is either Cavalier or the Indian regulators are hand in glove.

[masalama]

Well said False GS , it's amazing how quickly we have "colleagues" from other parts of the world come on and moan/berate pilots from "put your preferred third world country here" cockpit . Guys , if you have nothing to contribute re the actual event and help the community with your experience and knowledge , don't post BS.
I'm no fan of Spice too and with new carriers coming in , expect a few resignations from there specially the way staff were treated during the pandemic , interesting times ahead.
Masalama.

[CatFourD]

There's no point in being defensive about the situation. It is what it is. We live in a different world today. In this information age, it is not possible to hide things under the carpet and carry on regardless. I'm flying right here and the rampant unprofessionalism can be seen all over. You just have to tune In to 121.5 to hear people yap about everything under the sun and pay no heed to going 'one up'. Post Covid this reduced quite a bit when mostly only one Airline was flying. It's suddenly increased now. No points for guessing why. Trampling on others Radio, giving false ETAs to get priority, you get to see all these things here. Most of the 'senior' people around are those who have reached there just because no one else was available. This is a classic 'Third World' situation and no one can do anything about it. Having flown with so many Expats, you realise the difference. These are not Flying skills that I'm talking about. It's the uncouth behaviour with colleagues / subordinates / rampies which comes from a false sense of entitlement which obviously has been learnt from predecessors. The utter disregard for things like stabilisation criteria which leads to incidents at regular intervals mostly in some 'deviant' Airlines like AIX and SG. Pushing people not to carry out Flap 3 landings by Air Asia. Try doing these in US/EU and then ask not be called out for something.