Two pilots have been suspended after a plane carrying 280 passengers plunged suddenly in the airspace over Turkey.
Air regulators in India have set up an investigation into the “serious incident” which occurred on board a Boeing 777 last week en route to Brussels from Mumbai, the Times of India reported.
The plane dropped 5,000 feet while the captain was sleeping in what’s known as a “controlled rest,” which is permitted under aviation laws for long flights.
The co-pilot, who was meant to be in charge of the plane while the captain snoozed, claims she was busy on her iPad and didn’t notice the plane had lost altitude. However, investigators are looking into the possibility that she too had dozed off.
Air traffic controllers noticed the jet had moved away from its assigned flight level of 34,000 feet, and alerted the crew.
They notified the pilots to move back to 32,000 feet immediately, as the airspace in the region has become extremely busy with airlines avoiding countries such as Ukraine and Iraq.
Jet Airways has confirmed the “uncontrolled descent” occurred and has launched an internal inquiry.
An airline spokesperson said: “Safety is of paramount importance to Jet Airways, as is also the welfare of our guests and crew, and the airline will always take appropriate steps to ensure the same.”
The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India is looking into the cause, with the investigation likely to last for months.
“Was some button pressed wrongly and what was the co-pilot doing? Whether she was watching something on the tablet or she too had dozed off, (it) needs to be probed,” said a senior DGCA official.
The DGCA will audit the airline’s training procedure for pilots.
“The pilots should have informed the airline and they in turn should have apprised the accident investigation board about this case. The captain did not file a report. The two pilots kept flying after this case, which took place last Friday, till we grounded them on Tuesday. We got to know about it only from an anonymous complaint.”
News.com.au has contacted the airline for comment.