AI grounds pilot for 'pointing out defect'

New Delhi: Pointing out that three of the four main wheels of an aircraft were too worn out for the flight to be operated safely in adverse monsoon conditions has cost a senior commander dear.
Miffed that changing the tyres after the alleged defect was pointed out meant a delay of two hours for the flight, his employer, Air India (domestic), has grounded the pilot.
The airline's contention is that the tyres were not in such a bad condition that the flight should have been delayed, especially in the current environment where on time performance (OTP) is being monitored very closely by aviation authorities.
This safety-versus-OTP debate was sparked exactly a month back on August 4 when the senior commander was doing pre-flight inspection of an Airbus A-320 to operate it as IC 217 on the Kolkata-Hyderabad-Kolkata route.
The commander informed the ground staff which then changed the three tyres. This process took time because of which IC 217 took off two hours after its schedule time of 4.40pm. Since DGCA is monitoring OTP very closely, airlines examine each delay. This delay was also examined and the senior commander, who has been flying for the last 23 years, was asked to give an explanation. Not finding his reply satisfactory, he was issued a show cause and put off flying duty from August 27.
05/09/10 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: Air India Domestic Sep 2010, NACIL Sep 2010, Safety Sep 2010