DGCA suspends 2 SpiceJet pilots for a year for overshooting Mumbai runway

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New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA on Saturday suspended two SpiceJet pilots for a year as their B737 aircraft made a late touchdown at the Mumbai airport overshooting the runway on July 2, sources said.

“The DGCA found that SpiceJet’s Coimbatore-Mumbai flight, which was being flown by the two pilots — Captain Karun Gujral and Captain Arpit Gandhi — on July 2, touched down approximately 4,462 feet from the runway threshold. This led to runway overrun.”

The runway threshold area is the point from where the runway begins. “The B737 aircraft flown by these two pilots was floating for a long time before touchdown, the DGCA found in its investigation,” the source added. Both the pilots were issued show-cause notices on July 4 and they were asked to give a reply within 15 days by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the sources said.

“Their replies were not found to be satisfactory. As a result, this action has been taken by the DGCA,” the source said. Both the pilots have been suspended for a period of one year from the date of the incident, the sources said.