DGCA probe blames chopper fiasco on ‘unsatisfactory coordination’

Mumbai Air India’s flight IC866, which narrowly missed collision with a helicopter of President Pratibha Patil’s fleet in February, was only 30-40 metres away from the chopper before it exit the main runway via taxiway ‘W’, says Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s joint investigation report.
The report, made available in an abridged version by the DGCA on Wednesday, also says that there was a “difference of opinion” between the ATC controllers and IAF pilots over the Visual Flight Rules (VFR) circuit, and adds that the coordination among various agencies involved in the incident was “unsatisfactory”.
VFR is a set of regulations that allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in clear weather conditions, and is followed by helicopter pilots in India. While the report says that weather at the Mumbai airport was not suitable for VFR operations, the investigating team did not consider it as a ‘contributory factor’.
While Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVRs) of the helicopters and the Air India aircraft were scrutinised, the helicopters did not have Flight Data Recorders (FDRs) — device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters.
An ATC official, meanwhile, said that if IAF choppers were landing at a civil airport then civil procedures should have been followed.
03/09/09 Express India

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Categories: Air India Domestic Sep 2009, Airports Sep 2009, Indian Aviation- In General Sep 2009, NACIL Sep 2009, Safety Sep 2009