Who's looking after you when you fly?

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force Chief on Wednesday categorically denied that his pilots were at fault for the near miss between a Presidential flight of helicopters and an Air India jet with 150 onboard in Mumbai.
"Please remember that these airplanes were flown by the most experienced pilots of the airforce. They are flying the President of India for god sake. That should be understood clearly," said Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major
When asked if there was "a need to fine tune the procedures?" he said: "Probably there is a need to fine tune the procedure from this side of the DGCAor civil aviation because my pilots stick to their frequency they are asked to stick."
While a committee probing the potential collision between an Air India passenger aircraft carrying 150 passengers and one of the Air Force helicopters, part of the Presidents fleet, has still to submit its report, sources have told NDTV that this is not the first time lack of coordination almost led to tragedy.
On January 23, 2005, two Sukhois taking part in the fly past for the Republic Day came within 400 feet of an Air India flight AI 348 with 200 passengers on board travelling towards Delhi over Alwar.
In September 2007, a special Air Force aircraft flying UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from Srinagar to Delhi came close to a Virgin Atlantic A-340 aircraft coming from London.
Post 9/11, the Joint Command and Analysis centre (JCAC) was set up to allow for a quick response to not only to tackle any aerial threat but also to improve co-ordination between civilian and air force air traffic controllers. But clearly, the lines of communication continue to be blurred.
11/02/09 Sidharth Pandey/NDTV.com

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Categories: Safety Feb 2009