Meghalaya wants probe against pilots flouting safety norms

Shillong: The Meghalaya government Friday demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged violation of air safety norms by two pilots of Alliance Air operating flights between Kolkata and Shillong.
"We have written to the Director General of Civil Aviation expressing our concern against violation of air safety norms by the two pilots of Alliance Air," Transport Minister Abu Taher Mondal told IANS.
The civil aviation authorities must conduct a probe and if anyone is found guilty of violating the air safety norms, he should be punished, he said.
According to a New Delhi-based news channel, two pilots in Kolkata working for Alliance Air, a subsidiary of national carrier Air India, violated basic safety rules for the last three months putting the lives of many passengers at risk.
"Records from the airline show that on March 20, a pilot operating a flight from Shillong to Kolkata decided at the last minute to change the runway he would use to take-off. Close to 30 passengers were on board," the news channel said.
Records show there were strong winds near the airport. So the pilot decided to abandon Runway 04, used for virtually every plane taking off from Shillong, according to the report. The other Runway 22 - is very short and faces a range of hills, factors that could lead to a crash.
17/06/11 Mangalorean.com

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Categories: Air India Jun 2011, Airports Jun 2011, Safety Jun 2011