During pushback at Delhi airport on Monday morning, a Spicejet plane collided with a pole, causing damage to its wing. As SG-160, a Boeing 737-800 (VT-SLJ) was planned to fly to Jammu. The operational crew (pilots), aviation maintenance engineer (AME), wing walkers, and push back operator have all been derostered (removed from duty) awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
The aircraft was pushed back facing south by a pushback operator in collaboration with AME and two wing walkers, according to a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) officer handling the investigation. It was supposed to be pulled back to taxi lane F6 from parking bay 177.
"During push back, the B737 was pushed back beyond taxi lane F6 and further apron edge marking. When the aircraft was being aligned the trailing portion of the right-wing hit the apron light pole. Due to the impact, aileron — described by the website Skybrary as a primary flight control surface which controls movement about the longitudinal axis of an aircraft — on the wing trailing edge got damaged," quoted the Times of India one of the officials as saying.
Pilot not intoxicated
Both the pilots, the AME, the wing walkers, and the push back operator were given a breath analyzer test, and they all came back negative, indicating that they were not intoxicated.
Speaking on the incident, a SpiceJet spokesperson added, "On March 28, SpiceJet flight SG 160 was scheduled to operate between Delhi and Jammu. During pushback, the right-wing trailing edge came in close contact with a pole, causing damage to the aileron. A replacement aircraft has been arranged to operate the flight."
