Aviation watchdog lacks accident investigation kits

New Delhi: Indian airlines have bought aircraft worth more than $20 billion (Rs95,200 crore today) in the past six years to cater to the booming aviation market, but the civil aviation watchdog is yet to purchase accident investigation kits that experts say are critical for crash probes.
“We are trying to speed it up. Accidents don’t happen every day,” an official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on condition of anonymity, referring to the purchase of the kits.
An Air India Express flight from Dubai crashed at Mangalore airport on 22 May, killing 158 people in one of the country’s worst air disasters. It took DGCA investigators four days to locate the plane’s digital flight data recorder, or black box, which is crucial to find out the cause of the crash.
An accident investigation kit includes basic crash investigation tools such as binoculars, digital recorders, high resolution cameras and global positioning system (GPS) units to track aircraft position, hand gloves and shoes, among other tools.
Another DGCA official said investigating a crash without the kits was not just tardy, but dangerous as well, posing the threat of contamination.
“They (DGCA investigators) have to buy Rs20 gloves from the market or ask the operator of the crash to help with these things,” said the official, who did not want to be named as he is not authorized to speak with the media. “It’s very risky because there is blood spilled all over.”
National flag carrier Air India has appointed emergency response company Kenyon International Services Inc. to “assist with recovery, identification, repatriation of human remains and the return of their personal belongings”. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will also assist the crash investigation, besides aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co.
26/05/10 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

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Categories: Safety May 2010