Pilot's faulty handling: Biman aircraft remains grounded since Feb 2

A brand-new Dash-8 aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines has remained grounded since February 2 due to damage of its two engines apparently due to the pilot's faulty handling of the aircraft, sources in Biman said.

While the aircraft was in midair on its way to Sylhet from Dhaka on February 1, with 71 passengers on board, pilot Captain Rubaiyat, who is also deputy chief of training at Biman, used emergency power (known as metal-to-metal thrust in aviation) of the aircraft, sources said.

Pilots usually apply emergency power to avoid any possible accident. But usage of emergency power caused huge damage to the aircraft's engine, they said.

"After landing, the pilot should've reported the incident to the concerned authorities and should wrote down the incident in the logbook," a pilot of Biman said.

Wishing anonymity, he also said, at the same time there is no opportunity for the concerned aircraft to fly in any way without major maintenance in the workshop following any such incident.

However, after that incident, the respective pilot did not report this matter to the proper authorities.

The aviation engineering department after regular inspection of the aircraft decided to ground the aircraft on February 2.

Since then, the 74-seater Dash 8Q-400 aircraft remained grounded.

Under government to government purchase system, Bangladesh purchased three Dash 8 aircraft from Canada's De Havilland.

The grounded aircraft was brought to Dhaka in February last year.

Asked, Biman Managing Director and CEO Dr Abu Saleh Mostafa Kamal told The Daily Star that they have informed the aircraft's manufacturing company and its engine manufacturing company Pratt & Whitney Canada to assess the damage of the aircraft.

He also said Biman has formed a five-member investigation committee to find why it happened, under what circumstances the pilot used the emergency power, and whether he had any fault in flying the aircraft.