'Emirates pilot couldn't avoid Cumulonimbus cloud'
25 Apr 2010, 1406 hrs IST

DGCA sources have told TIMES NOW that the pilot of the Emirates flight that made an emergency landing at Kochi international airport after a free fall of reportedly over 18,000 feet,was unable to avoid passing the aircraft through a looming 'cumulo nimbus' or monsoon cloud, resulting in the abrupt loss of height. TIMES NOW also spoke to some passengers who recounted their ordeal.

DGCA is currently conducting an independent inquiry into the incident to try and ascertain the facts and if proper safety procedures were followed. The plane which is slightly damaged, has also been reportedly grounded.

Emirates has released a statement saying 20 passengers who had suffered 'minor injuries' had been medically treated and released.

""Flight EK530 from Dubai to Kochi encountered a short period of heavy turbulence prior to descent to India. There were 350 passengers on board the flight, 20 of whom suffered minor injuries. The flight landed safely in Kochi and the captain requested medical support to meet the aircraft. All affected passengers were treated and have not been released. Emirates places the highest importance on safety of our passengers and staff," the statement reads.

The airline claims the drop in height was only about 200 feet; but TIMES NOW's DGCA sources say the free fall was much greater, around 18,000 feet.

According to sources, the pilot has said the plane on its way from Dubai to Kochi hit the towering cumulo nimbus cloud leading to the free fall from 20,000 ft to just 2,000 ft, (somewhere between Goa and Kochi) before recovering and regaining height. South west monsoons are scheduled to hit the Kerala coast in next 15 days, so this explanation is at least plausible.

Flight passengers whom TIMES NOW spoke to at Kochi said those who were not belted into their seats were thrown upwards, overhead hatches opened up and baggage tumbled out, compounding the dangerous situation. "We were sure this was the end, that all of us would die," said one harried passenger.

Interestingly according to the DGCA sources the free fall incident occurred at 8 am on Sunday (April 25), but the pilot seems to have waited for a full 50 minutes before informing ATC in Kochi.

Sources say the aircraft was roughly between Mumbai and Chennai air spaces when the incident happened, and either ATCs could have been informed by the pilot of the crisis as soon as the plane recovered. Instead, the pilot continued on course and later informed Kochi airport when it was to land. The pilot reportedly informed the ATC that some passengers had been injured and needed medical attention.

When an airplane flies into clouds there is likely to be some turbulence, but not all clouds will create the same level of movement. There are greater updrafts and downdrafts in large, well-defined clouds like cumulo nimbus or thunderstorm clouds creating more severe turbulence for planes passing through. Thunderstorms are normally easily avoided by airplanes as they are more visible than 'clear air turbulence' that occur without warning, and civil air legislation requires pilots to remain at least a safe distance from them.

There are generally fewer clouds and less turbulence at high altitudes, but there are still some of both. Some clouds (cumulus and cumulo nimbus) can extend as high as 60,000 feet - well above typical air travel.

Sumber : http://www.timesnow.tv/Emirates-pilo...ow/4343790.cms