Centre considering independent safety board a la U.S. body

New Delhi: Keeping aviation safety uppermost in its mind, the Centre is mulling over creation of an independent board on the lines of the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in a bid to separate the roles of aviation regulator and investigator.
With concerns over civil aviation safety coming into sharp focus after the May 22 Air India Express crash at Mangalore, which claimed 158 lives, the Centre has stepped up efforts to revamp safety and probe mechanisms.
After addressing the first meeting of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC) here on Thursday, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said the government would consider granting the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation full autonomy and empowering it to independently carry out its work as a regulator of the aviation sector.
The CASAC, set up in the DGCA within a week of the Mangalore crash, will advise the government on further strengthening the safety environment through the synergy of expertise in four crucial fields — flight operations, airworthiness, aerodromes and air navigation services, and aircraft engineering.
03/06/10 Vinay Kumar/The Hindu

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jun 2010, Safety Jun 2010