Monsoon maladies: IndiGo flight returns safely to Guwahati after bird hit

NEW DELHI: An IndiGo aircraft had to return to Guwahati soon after taking off from there for Delhi after the Airbus A320 NEO suffered a bird hit. The pilots of this flight 6E-6394 shut down the affected engine, declared PAN-PAN (emergency) and returned safely to Guwahati.
An IndiGo spokesperson sad: "IndiGo Airbus A320neo (VT-ITB) operating flight 6E 6394 from Guwahati-Delhi returned to Guwahati airport, due to a suspected bird hit after takeoff. All passengers were accommodated on another flight to Delhi. The aircraft is being held on ground for necessary inspections."
“Engine number 1 of the aircraft (VT-ITB) got damaged due to bird hit when it was at an altitude of 1,600 feet. The crew then performed ‘ECAM’ actions. Engine number one was shut down. The aircraft returned to Guwahati safely,” said a senior DGCA official probing this case.
According to aviation website Skybrary, ECAM is “Airbus version of an enhanced engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS) system. It presents data on the engine/warning display and system display inclusive of primary engine indications, fuel quantity, flap and slat position.”
Instances of bird hits increase during monsoon as water-logged ground drives insects to the ground, attracting birds.