Thiruvananathapuram: The investigation by the Kerala police have found the complaint lodged by the pilot of Abu Dhabi-Cochin flight, diverted from Cochin to Trivandrum due to bad weather on October 19, regarding attempt by passengers to hijack the flight baseless.
Rupali Waghmore, the woman pilot, had alleged that six passengers had entered the cockpit and one of them had threatened to kill her if she did not take the flight to Cochin. The passengers had staged protests inside the aircraft after the pilot tried to leave following end of her duty time.
A special investigation team (SIT), led by Shanghumugham assistant commissioner, found that the pilot had not pressed the hijack button.
However, she mentioned a hijack-like situation in her oral communication with the Air Traffic Control.
The police also could not get any evidence about the threat made to life by one of the passengers. Although Air India had claimed that they had audio recordings to prove, the airline has so for not handed them over to the investigation team despite repeated reminders.
The SIT has veered round to the view that the protests by the passengers were natural reaction to the delay in resuming the diverted flight.
30/10/12 Khaleej Times
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Rupali Waghmore, the woman pilot, had alleged that six passengers had entered the cockpit and one of them had threatened to kill her if she did not take the flight to Cochin. The passengers had staged protests inside the aircraft after the pilot tried to leave following end of her duty time.
A special investigation team (SIT), led by Shanghumugham assistant commissioner, found that the pilot had not pressed the hijack button.
However, she mentioned a hijack-like situation in her oral communication with the Air Traffic Control.
The police also could not get any evidence about the threat made to life by one of the passengers. Although Air India had claimed that they had audio recordings to prove, the airline has so for not handed them over to the investigation team despite repeated reminders.
The SIT has veered round to the view that the protests by the passengers were natural reaction to the delay in resuming the diverted flight.
30/10/12 Khaleej Times
