IndiGo Delhi-Srinagar Flight Denied Hailstorm Evasion by IAF, Lahore ATC: Pilots Report to DGCA.

IndiGo Delhi-Srinagar Flight Denied Hailstorm Evasion by IAF, Lahore ATC: Pilots Report to DGCA.

 Posted on : 23/05/2025 

Indigo Airline

The Airbus A321neo plane carrying the flight with more than 220 individuals onboard had encountered a severe hailstorm while flying from Delhi to Srinagar on Wednesday, which resulted in a rough couple of minutes for its occupants.

Two days since an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Srinagar encountered rough turbulence and hailstorm while it landed in the J&K capital safely, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Friday stated that pilots had requested the Indian Air Force Northern Area Control permission to divert towards the India-Pakistan international border and even hailed the Lahore Air Traffic Control to temporarily venture into Pakistani air space — which remains off-limits to Indian flights — to take a detour around the storm.

Both these requests were rejected, and the flight crew chose to fly through adverse weather and complete the trip to Srinagar, the statement by the pilots to the DGCA, which is probing the incident, said.

During cruising at FL360 (36,000 feet), aircraft encountered hailstorm and heavy turbulence near Pathankot . According to crew statement, they had asked Northern Control (IAF) for left deviation (International Border) because of weather along the route but it was not granted. Subsequently, crew had called Lahore to come in their airspace to clear the weather but the same was denied too. Crew had initially tried to return but since they were near the thunderstorm cloud, they chose to penetrate weather. Later, they faced hailstorm and intense turbulence. The crew decided to keep flying at the same, maneuvering to leave the weather in the shortest direction for Srinagar, the DGCA added.

💢 Request To Deviate Denied :  

The plane flying over 220 people, including politicians, was cruising at 36,000 feet when it encountered unfavorable weather conditions over Pathankot, near the India-Pakistan border, an early report by the DGCA said.

The crew, in their post-flight report filed with the DGCA, said that the flight crew recognized a severe adverse weather condition ahead and had made an urgent request to the Northern Control of the Indian Air Force for a left deviation, which would have briefly taken the plane into Pakistani airspace. That was not granted.

Later on, the flight crew, in direct contact with Lahore Air Traffic Control, asked to be cleared into Pakistani airspace for a brief duration to skirt the storm system. This also was refused.

With fewer choices and a quickly approaching thunderstorm, the pilots at first contemplated a turnaround for Delhi. But by this point, the plane was too close to the oncoming clouds. Considering the nearness and possible danger, the crew opted to fly into the weather head-on in order to make it to Srinagar.

Indian Air Force Air Traffic Control officials informed the IndiGo aircraft pilots of the existence of a no-overfly ban over Pakistan when the cockpit crew requested diversion West to avoid the storm front. Later, IAF flight controllers assisted in facilitating the pilots to receive the frequency of Lahore ATC to the pilot. Lahore ATC refused the overfly permission.

💢 Inside The Storm :

As they entered the thunderstorm, the aircraft was subjected to intense hail impact and violent turbulence. Multiple critical systems started reporting malfunctions.

DGCA's initial analysis validates that the plane incurred Angle Of Attack (AOA) failure when alternate law protection was lost. These instances were initiated by the flight control systems of the aircraft when the plane was thrown vertically around by strong updrafts and downdrafts. In the midst of this turmoil, the autopilot deactivated. The crew was compelled to take complete manual control under erratic airspeed indications and severe stress.

The plane at some point descended in a steep rate of 8,500 feet per minute. To make matters worse, there were repeated stall warnings and "triple-red" warnings that the plane was getting close to its Maximum Operating Speed and Mach number.

The pilots, dependent on hand-flying techniques, maintained the jet stable until it came out of the weather system. The plane proceeded towards Srinagar on the same course to leave the storm in the shortest duration.

💢 Warnings Explained :

A malfunction in the Angle of Attack (AoA) sensor due to hail or ice may cause a failure in the stall warning system, which warns pilots with lights, noises, or vibrations when the angle of the wing to the airflow threatens a stall, when the aircraft becomes liftless and uncontrollable.

Under this circumstance, the Airbus A321's fly-by-wire system entered Alternate Law, which deactivated such protections as stall and overspeed guards.  Alternate Law is a flight control mode of reduced capability within Airbus fly-by-wire systems wherein some automated protections, such as stall and overspeed guards, are deactivated, necessitating more explicit pilot command.

Unreliable airspeed indications, presumably due to plugged pitot tubes (which detect airspeed), caused repeated stall and speed maximum warnings.

During intense turbulence, the A321 plummeted at 8,500 feet per minute at one point, much higher than the normal 1,500-3,000 feet per minute for a normal approach.

With the autopilot system having malfunctioned, the pilots flew the jetliner manually into Srinagar, reporting an emergency and landed safely.

💢 The Landing :

After stabilisation, the crew executed all Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitoring (ECAM) checklist procedures and issued a "PAN PAN" - international standard urgency call used by someone on a vehicle to announce an emergency.

Srinagar ATC led the flight into its final descent. In spite of previous system failures, the aircraft safely landed in Srinagar with no further trouble.

💢 Damage Assessment :

After landing, a routine post-flight walk-around inspection confirmed extensive damage to the aircraft's nose cone, or radome, which contains weather radar and is susceptible to hail damage.

No injury to passengers or crew was reported.

The DGCA has officially stated that the incident is being investigated. Technical teams from IndiGo and the regulator are currently analyzing both flight data and cockpit voice recordings.

💢 Passengers On Board :

On board the flight were a five-member Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation comprising MPs Derek O'Brien, Nadimul Haque, Manas Bhunia, Mamata Thakur, and party spokesman Sagarika Ghose.

It was a near-death experience," Ms Ghose said upon touchdown. "People were screaming, praying, panicking. Hats off to the pilot who brought us through.

Her account aligned with video footage from within the cabin which later appeared on social media. Passengers were filmed holding onto seats, many visibly shaken, some praying.

IndiGo confirmed in a statement that the aircraft was being made to undergo mandatory checks and maintenance before it was cleared for further flights.