What happened
On December 16, 2015, an Air India Airbus A-319, registration VT-SCQ, was preparing for a scheduled passenger flight from Mumbai to Hyderabad. The flight was already facing delays because the assigned cockpit crew had just arrived from a previous leg operating a flight from Rajkot.
During the pushback process at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, the aircraft's engines were started. Upon reaching taxiway B4, the pilot engaged the parking brakes and requested the ground service engineer to disconnect the intercom headset. While the ground crew was still positioned near the nose of the aircraft to finalize the disconnection of the tow bar and remove the nose wheel steering pin, the pilot released the parking brakes and applied power to taxi.
At that moment, the ground service engineer was standing near the aircraft, facing away from the fuselage with his headset still on. As the aircraft began to move, the right engine came into close proximity to the engineer, resulting in his fatal ingestion into the engine. The sudden movement caused the aircraft's nose wheel to strike the disconnected tow bar, which then became lodged against the right main landing gear.
The investigation
AAIB India examined the sequence of events, flight data recorder (DFDR) information, and crew schedules. The investigation established that the cockpit crew had entered the aircraft only seven minutes prior to pushback, significantly later than the required 20-minute preparation period.
Investigators also reviewed the communications between the cockpit and the ground. While the co-pilot had provided clearance for the right side, the investigation found that the ground personnel were still in the immediate vicinity of the aircraft's nose and engines when the movement commenced. The investigation also noted that the departure engineer was not present at the aircraft during the departure process.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the non-adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) regarding the release of parking brakes and the verification of ground crew clearance.
- A delayed flight schedule, caused by improper crew rostering, created a pressurized environment where the crew rushed to commence operations.
- The ground service engineer was not aware the aircraft was moving because he was facing away from the engine and wearing a headset.
- Ground personnel remained in a hazardous zone near the engine intake during the transition from pushback to taxi.