News

Actions

Indian airline technician dies after getting trapped in plane door

Posted at 4:11 AM, Jul 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-10 06:11:33-04

A technician for Indian airline SpiceJet died in a freak accident in Kolkata on Wednesday morning, after accidentally getting trapped in a plane door.

Rohit Pandey was performing maintenance work on the aircraft at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, when a hydraulic door “inadvertently” closed and he got stuck between the door flaps, according to a SpiceJet spokesperson.

A doctor was called immediately after the incident was reported at about 1:45 a.m., said Kaushik Bhattacharya, director of the Kolkata airport. “The body could not be pulled out and the doors had to be cut by mechanics,” Bhattacharya added.

Pandey was declared dead shortly after the doors were broken.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a federal regulatory body, has launched an investigation into the accident.

In a statement, SpiceJet said it was “extremely saddened” by the news and that “the entire SpiceJet family stands together in grief in this unfortunate incident.”

SpiceJet has a good safety record. AirlineRatings.com, which evaluates airline safety worldwide, gave SpiceJet a rating of 7/7, citing its compliance with international safety parameters and fatality-free record.

But Pandey’s accident comes amid a difficult few weeks for the budget carrier.

Last week, a SpiceJet plane overshot the runway at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, in Mumbai, according to CNN affiliate News18. No injuries were reported, but the aircraft was stuck on the runway and the surrounding grass all night.

Last Tuesday, the DGCA conducted safety audits and found maintenance issues with SpiceJet, News18 reported. The DGCA issued the airline show cause notices, meaning it must submit a mandatory response on the cited problems.