A major air accident was averted when a Jet Airways flight with Union Minister Sharad Pawar on board returned to Delhi airport safely after it was found that a rear door was not locked properly.
Taking a serious note of Friday evening's incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended at least two cabin crew members of the Delhi-Mumbai flight (9W362), official sources said in New Delhi on Saturday.
When the Boeing-737 reached the height of about 5,000 metres after taking off at 1725 hours, the cabin crew on the rear of the plane informed the pilot that they could hear 'a hissing sound and see the sky through one corner of the door'.
The Commander of the plane immediately reported emergency to the Delhi air traffic control, which asked them to burn fuel in the air in order to make a safe landing.
The aircraft then climbed about 8,000 metres and circled above to burn fuel before making a safe landing an hour after take off.
The DGCA preliminary inquiry showed that the cabin crew had not shut the door properly 'before reporting door closed' to the pilot, sources said.
When contacted a Jet Airways Spokesperson said the 'safety of the passengers was not compromised' and the door was 'secured'.
Maintaining that the door was 'secured', he said the doors have been made in such a manner that 'even if they are not aligned properly they would not open'.
However, the spokesperson maintained 'the suspension of the crew members was part of the procedure'.
The incident comes a day after an Air Mauritius plane with 241 passengers and 11 crew members on board had to abort take off after a fire was detected in the under carriage of the aircraft at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
