Most helicopters that have crashed belong to public sector companies

New Delhi: The helicopter crash on Tuesday in Tawang valley that killed 17 could have been avoided had the operator Pawan Hans heeded the Arunachal Pradesh government's repeated request of replacing the ill-fated chopper.
This civilian chopper crash, the 60th since 1990, has directed attention to safety issues in the helicopter sector, which is governed by very loose rules and regulations. Experts have also questioned the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA's) role in regulating public sector helicopter operators.
"We wrote a letter to Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL) first on January 18, 2010, and then on August 8, 2010, requesting them to replace the machine as it was very old and reporting technical snags every now and then," Hage Khoda, commissioner in Arunachal Pradesh government who looks after civil aviation, told ET over phone.
The unfortunate accident could have been avoided had they heeded our request Khoda said, adding that the letters did not get even a single reply in the last one and a half years from the helicopter company. A PHHL spokesperson defended the company saying that the chopper was being maintained well and a need for replacement wasn't felt.
Interestingly, on August 6, 2010, a crew member of PHHL died after falling out of the same helicopter - MI-172 - that crashed on Tuesday. The crew member had died when one of the doors of this helicopter had opened in mid-flight. This machine has been in service for the past 14 years after being inducted in 1997.
23/04/11 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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Categories: Safety Apr 2011