India helicopter crash puts spotlight on aviation issues

New Delhi: A top state official from northeastern India was found dead Wednesday after his helicopter went down several days ago in rough weather, the latest setback for the nation's troubled civil aviation industry.
The state-owned operator, Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., suffered another accident three weeks ago that killed 17 people when their helicopter crashed into a landing pad in the perilous 11,000-foot-high Tawang Valley area of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China. Critics said many of the victims would have survived if fire engines and mandatory emergency equipment were readily available.
Information compiled by the New Delhi-based Rotary Wing Society of India, a watchdog group, found that most of the nation's 60 helicopter accidents between 1990 and 2011 involved violations of standard operating procedure.
Helicopter flights aren't the only ones in the spotlight. In recent weeks, several commercial airline pilots have been discovered to have doctored licenses.
India's licensing system, in which test results are hand-delivered by couriers, leaves ample room for shenanigans, said Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation safety consultant.
Last year, the domestic air passenger market grew by 18%. Experts forecast India will be among the fastest-growing airline markets in the coming decade.
India has had just nine deadly accidents involving Indian crews since 1962. But some say it's been lucky given the number of warning signs.
Fifty-seven pilots failed spot breathalyzer tests in the 2009-10 fiscal year, there have been several reported near-collisions and passengers watched a fistfight break out among crew members aboard an Air India flight in October 2009.
India's helicopter industry, which has a lower fatality rate than the U.S. because it doesn't handle firefighting or other dangerous work, hasn't faced the fake-license problem seen with airlines because virtually all its pilots are from the military.
05/05/11 Mark Magnier/Los Angeles Times

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Categories: Safety May 2011