On April 12th, Iran’s Caspian Airlines was flying one of its McDonnell Douglas MD-83 jets on a domestic route from Tehran to Kish when its autopilot malfunctioned. Meanwhile, a Qatar Airways Airbus A350-1000 was nearby its fellow Middle Eastern carrier’s aircraft and received a stall warning as a result of the conditions.
Climbing aircraft
The MD-83 holds registration EP-CAS, and due to the autopilot issue, the crew members on the A350, holding registration A7-ANO, were given a TCAS resolution advisory to climb. The Qatar Airways plane was performing flight QR739 from Doha to Los Angeles and was flying at FL340, approximately 50 NM northwest of Isfahan when it received the advisory. The A350 climbed by at least 550 feet when the pilots received a speed/stall warning.
According to The Aviation Herald, Iran’s CAO confirms that the autopilot malfunction caused the MD-83 to climb approximately 400 feet above its assigned altitude, which eventually led to a TCAS resolution advisory. Ultimately, the event was classed a serious incident and is under investigation.
Nonetheless, the Caspian Airlines aircraft descended back down to its assigned flight level, while the Qatar Airways unit descended back to FL340. The pair of planes carried on their routes without any additional issues.
Behind the fleet
According to Planespotters.net, this Caspian Airlines MD-83 first joined the Tehran-based airline in May 2016. It has also spent time with three Ukrainian carriers in the form of Bravo Airways, Bukovyna, and UM Airlines. However, the plane began its deployment in the United States, commencing service with TWA in 1999 before joining American Airlines in 2001.
This aircraft isn’t the only MD-83 in Caspian Airlines’…