"The pilot was not ready to land but Rahul Gandhi forced him to land"

New Delhi: The two pilots, who landed the helicopter carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi allegedly in poor visibility in UP's Sitapur district on Monday, have been derostered pending investigations.
DGCA has asked the pilots to not fly till further orders and summoned them to Delhi to ‘explain’ the incident.
However, the District Magistrate of Sitapur, in his report to the UP government, has already confirmed that the helicopter had indeed landed in complete darkness.
Importantly, the DM’s statement is in sync with Rita Joshi’s assertion, yesterday, that the chopper had landed in pitch dark surroundings, putting everyone’s life in danger.
"We had to leave in 15 minutes because it was so dark. Putting our life in danger, we landed the helicopter in zero visibility in Sitapur. The pilot was not ready to land but Rahul Gandhi forced him to land. You should see his commitment", Joshi had told reporters.
But Rahul’s explanation was different: “I am a pilot and I am absolutely aware of the dangers of flying in low visibility conditions. I will be the last person to do it.”
However, the continuing with war-of-words between the Mayawati government and the Centre over Rahul’s unannounced visits to the state, the state government has shot off a letter to the Centre over alleged violation of security norms during Gandhi's visit to the state.
09/12/09 Zee News

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Dec 2009, Safety Dec 2009