4 incidents this year, 5 to probe them

Mumbai At least four incidents, involving one or more aircraft, were reported at the Mumbai airport this year, and the aircraft suffered serious damage in two of them. A possible collision between two aircraft of Jet Airways and Air India on Sunday last had put the lives of 269 passengers at risk. The investigation reports on the three earlier incidents are still pending as the air safety department of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Western Region, responsible for investigating such incidents, has a staff strength of just five.
Mumbai is the country’s busiest airport in terms of flight movement. Under rule 71 of Aircraft Rules 1937, all airline accidents are to be investigated by the Inspector of Accidents who will be appointed by the DGCA from the air safety department, but the western region has none. “We need at least seven to eight Inspectors of Accidents, but have none. Usually teams are sent in from Delhi or made from whoever is available,” an official said.
Investigation is also pending in two other cases. While one involved a SpiceJet pilot who was grounded after reporting drunk for work, the other involved an Air India Dubai-Jaipur-Mumbai flight missing the airport by 80 nautical miles in 2008.
A typical inquiry into any incident involving aircraft takes place in three stages. Records and conversations from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) frequency along with the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder (CVR) are seized in the first stage. The verbatim transcripts of these evidence are then prepared for further analysis.
“There is a shortage of staff, but soon we will be creating new positions,” said Director General of Civil Aviation Dr Nassim Zaidi. “Investigations fall under different categories. While some are simple, others can be quite complex. I’m reviewing all our investigations on a monthly basis.”
Following threats of downgrading India’s safety ratings by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) of the US earlier this year, the government on Monday did approve the filling of over 700 posts in the DGCA. Zaidi said he had constituted a board of aviation safety last month, wherein senior officials meet every week to assess air safety across the country.
07/06/09 Shashank Shekhar/Express India

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Categories: Airports Jun 2009, Safety Jun 2009