Technical glitch grounds FlySafair plane
FlySafair has been forced to ground one of its airplanes due to a technical error.
The suspension follows two flight diversions from the same flight at the end of March and at the beginning of April.
On both occasions, the flight which operated flight FA143 departed from King Phalo Airport in East London from Cape Town International Airport.
It had to be diverted to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in Gqeberha.
In both flights, the captain was alerted to an indication error from a small component on the wing after departure and followed safety protocols by landing in Gqeberha rather than continuing to Cape Town.
FlySafair Chief Marketing officer Kirby Gordon says in the first incident technicians cycled through a round of checks and the indication was found to be a false warning.
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But after the second alert on Monday, FlySafair decided to ground the aircraft for more comprehensive checks.
“Working in conjunction with the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), who supported that decision, the maintenance team at FlySafair is working to determine the root cause of the indication light in order to be able to release the aircraft back into service,” says Gordon.
Gordon adds that no interruptions to regular services are expected.
An investigation into the cause of the technical issue is ongoing.
“South Africa’s aviation safety record is one of the strongest in the world. It’s important that we as citizens understand that both the SACAA and the operators they regulate, take these events, no matter how minor, very seriously to keep us safe in the skies.”
