Air chief defends IAF pilots, trashes DGCA report

Bangalore: The Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major has rejected reports that pilots of the Indian Air Force were responsible for the near miss incident at Mumbai airport.
An Air India jet with 150 onboard nearly collided with VVIP helicopters being used to transport the President and her family on Monday.
Earlier, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the civil aviation watchdog in the country, had blamed the pilot of the presidential choppers for not following rules and coming too close to the passenger plane on the runway.
Now, the Air chief has rejected that report and said that the Air Force's pilots were not at fault and the civil aviation ministry should set its house in order.
No action has been taken against any one yet. ATC officials were taken off duty, and the Air Force said the chopper pilots in question would not fly so that they could focus on the inquiry.
11/02/09 NDTV.com

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