Pilots of AI flight which caught fire grounded

NEW DELHI: The pilots of Air India Flight 829 whose engine caught fire on Friday have been de-rostered.

An engine of a Riyadh-bound Air India plane with 213 passengers on board had caught fire on Friday when it was taxiing for takeoff in Mumbai. The fire was immediately put off and all passengers were safely evacuated.

Director General of DGCA, Nazeem Zaldi, has confirmed that the pilots have been de-rostered. According to a Times Now report, preliminary probe suggests that there have been lapses on part of the pilots.

An AI spokesperson had earlier said that the aircraft maintenance engineer had been de-rostered pending enquiry, and a four-member in-house committee had been set up to investigate the incident.