DGCA to conduct audit of safety measures at heliports

New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA will conduct audit of safety measures at heliports, particularly those situated in remote areas, in the wake of the chopper crash in Tawang that claimed 17 lives.
"We are thinking of conducting an audit of readiness of safety measures at heliports, basically those situated in remote areas...In Tawang, the first fire-tender reached the spot after quite a long time," director general of civil aviation E K Bharat Bhushan told reporters here on Friday on the sidelines of a function of Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited.
A helicopter, carrying 23 people, crashed in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang area on Tuesday after it caught fire just before it was to land at the helipad located at an altitude of 11,000 feet, bordering China's Tibet region.
The first fire-tender reached the spot after 45 minutes, which, officials feel led to heightened casualties.
Bhusan said the Voice Data Recorder of the ill-fated chopper has been recovered and sent to Mumbai for decoding.
Rejecting Arunachal Pradesh government's claims that PHHL was responsible for the crash as their helicopters were not airworthy and not maintained as per the DGCA guidelines, he said, "The 14-year-old helicopter that crashed in Tawang had the 'Certificate of Airworthiness' valid till this year-end. There was nothing wrong with the helicopter."
22/04/11 Times of India

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Apr 2011