Perils of flying off the handle

New Delhi: Commuters on roads may escape the consequences of travelling without vehicle papers, but when you’re flying miles above the ground and commit the blunder, it can lead to severe action.
Just such a mishap committed by the aircraft maintenance engineer (AME), captain and co-pilot of a Delhi-Shimla flight, No DN-549, on Tuesday, has led the Air Deccan authorities to terminate the services of the captain, while suspending the AME and co-pilot with immediate effect for six months.
It is learnt that Captain Penela, co-pilot Aziz and AME Rajat Jain diverted the aircraft to Chandigarh due to bad weather conditions in Shimla.
During their stop at Chandigarh airport, the aircraft went through a scrutiny and updates were marked on the technical log book maintained for each aircraft. But Mr Jain forgot to carry the tech-log book with him on the flight. This resulted in the flight returning to Chandigarh 15 minutes after take-off. “The technical log book is an important record without which no pilot is entitled to fly. It contains all the technical information about the aircraft as updated by the ground staff,” an Air Deccan source said.
They said the captain is supposed to take necessary decisions related to flight take-off and landing and it is considered primarily his fault for leaving Chandigarh without the tech-log book. “The co-pilot was also held responsible,” the source said.
19/07/07 The Statesman

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Categories: Air Deccan Jul 2007, Safety Jul 2007