An IndiGo flight on December 10 made an emergency landing after smoke was detected. (File)
Aircraft Accident Probe Agency (AAIB) has sought assistance from its US counterpart National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in investigating into the incident of an IndiGo plane's engine emitting smoke mid-air, a senior official said today.
An IndiGo flight going from Jaipur to Kolkata on December 10 made an emergency landing after smoke was detected in the cabin. It is the first time that smoke was detected from a Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engine.
The AAIB, which refuted allegations that it was going slow with the probe, is pursuing the matter with Airbus and P&W.
"In this case, AAIB is sending this engine to M/s P&W facility for a detailed investigation and is seeking assistance from NTSB, US, also," a senior AAIB official said.
The official also said the "question of hushing it (the probe) up does not arise at all."
P&W engines, powering A320 neo planes, have been facing glitches and in the past, some of the planes were grounded due to different problems.
An industry source claimed that AAIB mid-way changed the probe team and brought an official whose integrity has come under question in the past allegedly to cover up the probe.
The Civil Aviation Ministry and IndiGo, however, denied the allegations.
"There is no question of any probe being hushed up. On the contrary, the AAIB is pursuing the matter with Airbus and Pratt & Whitney for assessing the reasons and recommending remedial measures," Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey said.
Investigations are still underway and as a responsible corporate representing the Indian aviation industry, IndiGo will never influence any authority in its on-going investigation, the airline said.
IndiGo earlier downplayed the incident saying in a statement that the flight "made an emergency landing as a precaution due to a suspected smoke in cabin".