Incident Overview
On 2 February 2024, a serious airprox incident took place at Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair, between an Air India A319-112 aircraft (registration VT-SCV, operating flight AIC788) and an Indian Navy ALH MK III helicopter (call sign Examiner 7). The occurrence was classified as a serious incident under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
Sequence of Events
Air India flight AIC788 was scheduled to depart from Port Blair to Kolkata. At the same time, the Indian Navy helicopter was conducting a training sortie in the north-east sector of the local flying area and planned an overhead ILS procedure for Runway 04. The helicopter requested and received approval from the Approach Controller on frequency 123.5 MHz.
The Tower Controller coordinated with the Approach Controller to clear AIC788 for departure from Runway 22. The clearance included instructions to climb on runway heading to 4000 feet and then turn right to establish on its route to Kolkata. Traffic information regarding the helicopter was passed to AIC788.
At 02:54:34 UTC, the approach controller instructed the helicopter to continue the procedure. At approximately 02:58:53 UTC, a Traffic Advisory (TA) was triggered in the helicopter, which then performed a right turn to avoid the take-off path of AIC788. Simultaneously, AIC788 reported the traffic and initiated an avoidance maneuver.
Aircraft and Personnel
The Air India A319-112 (VT-SCV) was crewed by an ATPL holder as Pilot-in-Command and a CPL holder as First Officer. The Indian Navy ALH MK III (registration IN714) was crewed by two Indian Navy pilots. No injuries were reported to any crew, passengers, or cabin crew on either aircraft. No damage to aircraft occurred.
Air Traffic Control
At the time of the incident, procedural separation was in effect, and the Approach Controller was handling four aircraft. The Tower Controller issued line-up instructions for AIC788 and coordinated with the Approach Controller for departure clearance. The helicopter was instructed to proceed outbound on the localizer for Runway 22 heading at 2700 feet.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the incident was infringement of separation minima due to lack of coordination between Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the Defence helicopter and inadequate situational awareness of the flight crew of the Defence helicopter.
Safety Recommendations
The investigation report included safety recommendations aimed at improving coordination procedures with defence forces, though specific recommendations are not detailed in this article.