Hirani wife flies into pilot test row

Mumbai: The tale of Munnabhai, the lovable rascal who pulled an exam scam to get into a medical college, has leaped off the screen and landed at the doorstep of director Rajkumar Hirani.
Air India pilot and his wife Manjeet Lamba has been accused of failing a test to renew her flying licence and then going on to clear the exam in a second attempt by tweaking rules.
The alleged incident came to light during internal investigations by Air India to verify the credentials of pilots after a fake-licence scandal buffeted the civil aviation industry in the country.
In the wake of reports that some pilots used forged marksheets, licences of 3,000 to 4,000 pilots are being scrutinised by the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA).
“Capt. Lamba’s case was one which came up during Air India’s internal scrutiny,” an airline source said.
An internal letter signed by a dozen senior check-pilots of Air India, who conduct the tests, says: “She (Capt. Lamba) was unable to clear the route check because of her performance in the same…. The areas of weakness were neither discussed nor corrected. However, the candidate… was put for another route check with two other training captains on 04-09-2010.
“Captain Lamba was declared passed without having undergone any corrective training. Relevance guidance material dealing with such case is laid down in a circular (copy enclosed).”
According to the circular, a pilot assessed below standard can appeal for a re-check by any other examiner but it has to follow a laid-down procedure. If the appeal is accepted, the DGCA will constitute a board that will conduct the re-check. The board will decide who will conduct the re-check and the manner in which it should be conducted.
06/04/11 Samyabrata Ray Goswami/The Telegraph

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Categories: Air India Apr 2011