Air India A319 lands without clearance at Mumbai after radio failure (VT-SCL)

Incident Overview On 12 April 2013, an Air India Airbus A319, registration VT-SCL, landed at Mumbai Airport without air traffic control clearance. The aircraft was operating a scheduled flight from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai. The incident occurred during daylight conditions, and the aircraft landed safely on runway 27. ## Flight History The flight departed Abu Dhabi and was approaching Mumbai. Prior to the landing, two jeeps were inspecting runway 09/27 due to a suspected bird strike. The jeeps vacated the runway after observing the aircraft on short final approach. The aircraft landed safely, and there were no injuries to passengers or crew, nor any damage to the aircraft. ## Communication Failure After being handed over to tower, the flight crew was unable to establish communication with ATC on the tower frequency. The crew reported significant disturbance and garbling on the frequency. The commander, acting as pilot monitoring, repeatedly attempted to contact tower but was unsuccessful. The crew followed a communication failure procedure specific to Mumbai airport, which involved continuing the approach and landing if visual. ## Contributing Factors The probable cause of the incident was the flight crew's failure to communicate with ATC and their decision to land despite being instructed to go around due to the ongoing runway inspection. Fatigue on the part of the flight crew contributed to the error. The crew did not squawk 7600 or follow standard radio communication failure procedures, citing the disturbance on the frequency and distraction by the jeeps on the runway. ## Safety Recommendations The investigation committee recommended that the DGCA develop a fatigue risk management policy under the Safety Management System. Additionally, AAI was advised to emphasize RCF procedures during refresher courses, and a safety assessment of the risks associated with runway inspections using two jeeps was recommended.