DGCA asks heli-operators to avoid tough terrain in VIP sorties

New Delhi: Keeping recent helicopter crashes in forests or hilly areas in mind, aviation regulator DGCA has asked all chopper operators, including state governments, to avoid such difficult terrain while undertaking VIP sorties.
The operators have been advised "to ensure that VIP sorties (are) avoided over dense forests or difficult hilly terrain where emergent landing or search and rescue become difficult in case of any eventuality," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a recent operations circular.
If such terrains cannot be avoided, "cruising level should be such that two way RT (Radio Telephony) contact is maintained in order to ascertain approximate location of helicopter at any given time," it said.
The DGCA identified areas where emergent landings or search and rescue operations were difficult and asked the operators to "take cognizance of such areas while planning the flights".
The directive, part of a series of new rules and procedures on helicopter operations, came after the report of the probe into the chopper crash in the thick hilly forests of Rudrakudru in Andhra Pradesh a year ago, that claimed the lives of then Chief Minister Y S R Reddy and four others.
But helicopter professionals urged the government to review the new safety rules for chopper operations by state governments and state-owned firms, saying the high recurring costs may not be affordable by them.
26/09/10 PTI/Deccan Herald

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