DGCA fines SpiceJet Rs 10 lakh for training Boeing 737 MAX pilots on faulty CAE simulator – Times of India
NEW DELHI: Budget carrier SpiceJet has been fined Rs 10 lakh for using a faulty Boeing 737 MAX simulator to train their pilots.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had conducted a simulator surveillance at CAE Simulation Training Pvt Ltd (CSTPL), Greater Noida, on March 30, 2022.
“There was a missing malfunction inoperative item for the B737 MAX for stick shaker on P2 (co-pilot) side. It had been inoperative since March 17, 2022. However this simulator was being operated to conduct return to service training for SpiceJet pilots in violation (of rules),” said a DGCA official.
The stick shaker — that vibrates the control column and makes a loud noise when the jet risks losing lift — on co-pilot side of this simulator was not functional when the training was imparted.
Since this “training could have adversely effected flight safety”, the aviation regulator had nullified the same for 90 pilots and had directed that they undergo the training again on a fully functional simulator.
The DGCA had around mid-April issued a show cause notice to the airline.
A senior DGCA official said on Monday: “The airline’s reply was not found satisfactory. DGCA has therefore imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on SpiceJet for utilising a faulty simulator to train their pilots.”
The training in question was being conducted for pilots to understand the functioning of “manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system” (MCAS) after the modification for the MAX aircraft that allowed it to return to service after a global grounding.
Boeing has made this training in simulator mandatory for all pilots before they fly the B737 MAX.
A controversial flight stabilising programme developed by Boeing for MAX, MCAS was eventually found responsible for the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines B737 MAX crashes in October 2018 and March 2019, respectively, in which 346 people had lost their lives.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had conducted a simulator surveillance at CAE Simulation Training Pvt Ltd (CSTPL), Greater Noida, on March 30, 2022.
“There was a missing malfunction inoperative item for the B737 MAX for stick shaker on P2 (co-pilot) side. It had been inoperative since March 17, 2022. However this simulator was being operated to conduct return to service training for SpiceJet pilots in violation (of rules),” said a DGCA official.
The stick shaker — that vibrates the control column and makes a loud noise when the jet risks losing lift — on co-pilot side of this simulator was not functional when the training was imparted.
Since this “training could have adversely effected flight safety”, the aviation regulator had nullified the same for 90 pilots and had directed that they undergo the training again on a fully functional simulator.
The DGCA had around mid-April issued a show cause notice to the airline.
A senior DGCA official said on Monday: “The airline’s reply was not found satisfactory. DGCA has therefore imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on SpiceJet for utilising a faulty simulator to train their pilots.”
The training in question was being conducted for pilots to understand the functioning of “manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system” (MCAS) after the modification for the MAX aircraft that allowed it to return to service after a global grounding.
Boeing has made this training in simulator mandatory for all pilots before they fly the B737 MAX.
A controversial flight stabilising programme developed by Boeing for MAX, MCAS was eventually found responsible for the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines B737 MAX crashes in October 2018 and March 2019, respectively, in which 346 people had lost their lives.
