Mishap Averted: Kolkata Bound IndiGo Flight Returns To Chennai Due To Snag-Prone Airbus A320 Neo PW Engines

In yet another incident involving the snag-prone Pratt and Whitney (PW) engines of the Airbus A320 Neo, an Indigo flight from Chennai to Kolkata on Thursday (3 January) experienced trouble in one of its engines, reports Times of India.

According to the report, a bang sound emitted from one of the two PW engines of the Neo (VT-ITR), followed by sparks, smoke and vibration in the engine. Since landing is possible on one engine in the twin-engine flight, the aircraft 9W 923 with 136 passengers on board returned to Chennai safely.

"6E 923 (Neo) operating Chennai-Kolkata route on January 3, 2019, returned to Chennai after takeoff due to a technical caution noted by the crew. The crew followed the normal operating procedures and asked for a priority landing. There was no engine shutdown, and no emergency landing was declared," an IndiGo spokesperson was quoted in the report as saying.

A team was sent to Chennai by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) to examine and do a preliminary analysis on the engine.

The aircraft has been grounded in Chennai, and the engine has to be replaced as its blades are burnt out, the report quoted sources as saying.