http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/dgca-safety-audit-indicts-pawan-hans/1/140900.html
New Delhi: India's aviation regulator Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) has indicted national helicopter company Pawan Hans for not operating single engine choppers for VIPs under the Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) which makes it easier for pilots to negotiate bad weather.
The embarrassment comes about a month after a Pawan Hans chopper crashed killing Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu and four others.
That helicopter too was powered by a single engine and did not have IFR through which pilots are in touch with Air Traffic Control for safe flight path.
The DGCA's safety audit, conducted last month, laments that the operator had not complied with sections 2.2 (d) and 4.2 of CAR, mandatory for aircraft owned by government and public sector units (PSUs).
The CAR section 2.2 (d) states that the operator should have "at least two sets of appropriately licensed crew." While 4.2 section states that multi- engine fixed wing aircraft and single turbine or multi- turbine engine helicopters should have good operational capability under IFR. The DGCA audit stated that Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL) is operating flights under Rule 160 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and pilots are ' inappropriately licensed.' It is a non- compliance of the CAR's section 2.2, issued in June 2010, stated the report.
PHHL, by invoking an exemption clause- Rule 160 has permitted more than fifty per cent of its pilots, with defence background, to fly without licences.
Section 160 says, the Centre may exempt any aircraft or any person from adhering to these rules, either wholly or partially.
Aviation experts, however, feel that Rule 160 should be invoked in extreme circumstances.
09/06/11 Ajmer Singh/India Today
0 comments:
Post a Comment