Two pilots fail dope test, a first since checks began in India six months back

New Delhi: Two pilots of leading Indian airlines failed dope tests this week, becoming the first aviation personnel to do so since India started testing flight crew and air traffic controllers for psychoactive substance on a random basis starting January 31, 2022.

As this is the first time they have failed the test, the two are being sent for de-addiction or rehabilitation. After undergoing the programme successfully, they can return to work with a negative dope test and a fitness certificate from their airline doctor.

“The two pilots failed the dope test in the last 4-5 days. As per protocol, their urine samples underwent a confirmatory test after the initial test was positive. The samples were sent abroad for the confirmatory test. Due to sensitivity and privacy issues and the stigma attached, the identity of the pilots and the two prominent Indian airlines they work for is not being disclosed,” said people aware of the development. Comments were sought from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and awaited till the time of publishing story.

While breath analyser (BA) tests to ensure aviation personnel are sober when they report for work are being conducted for several years, the DGCA had for the first time made dope tests mandatory for pilots, cabin crew and air traffic controllers (ATCOs) earlier this year. At least 10% of these personnel in an organisation have to undergo dope test annually.

Those failing the test first time, have to successfully undergo de-addiction/rehabilitation and are then allowed to resume duty. Those failing second time, will have their license suspended for three years. And failing for third time will mean licence cancellation.

31/07/22 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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IndiGo reported 52 air safety issues, including accidents in the last ten years

Your bags are checked in, the security check went well and you’re seated comfortably on that aisle seat with extra leg room. But how safe is that aircraft that you’re in? Even though there haven’t been many flight accidents reported in India, the recent data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation say 192 airline safety issues have occurred in the country in the last 10 years. Of them, a majority of events have occurred in flights operated by IndiGo and Air India. 

Between 2013 and July 25, 2022, airlines in India have reported 19 accidents, 99 serious incidents and 74 incidents. An airline accident is one where a person is fatally or seriously injured or an aircraft sustains damage or sees structural failure or it is either missing or inaccessible. A serious incident, on the other hand, is something that could have been an accident and an incident is a situation that affects the flight’s safety. 

The numbers were revealed by Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation, while answering a question raised by nine Lok Sabha MPs. The question was in the light of an increasing number of incidents in the recent past. Earlier this week, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had asked SpiceJet to cut down its operations by 50 per cent for eight weeks due to poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions. 

In the last 10 years, six Air India aircraft have been involved in accidents. This is followed by five Spice Jet and four Jet Airways flights. Data say that 2022 saw one accident in a SpiceJet flight which had occurred on May 1. 

However, when it comes to serious incidents, IndiGo tops the list, having reported 35 of these since 2013. IndiGo’s aircraft have reported a total of 52 issues in ten years. When it comes to Air India, the number is 49. 

While answering a separate question on Thursday, Scindia said, “A total of 478 technical snags were reported in last one year (Between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022). 

A closer look at the data shows that these occurrences peaked in 2019 which saw 35 issues reported across airlines. While the number has been almost half (17 each) in 2020 and 2021, owing to multiple lockdowns and a less frequency of air travel, four airline accidents occurred in 2021. And in 2022, until July 25, 10 incidents have been reported, including an accident.

However, experts from the industry caution that the real number could be even higher. "The DGCA has been covering up the number of accidents and terming them as incidents, so that the data on accidents is kept low," says aviation safety consultant Mohan Ranganathan, "If we show accidents, then the insurance premium goes up and the country's reputation is also affected," he adds.

30/07/22 Parvathi Benu/Business Line

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Air travel is safe and safety non-negotiable, says DGCA DG Arun Kumar

Indian aviation regulator means business and safety is non-negotiable, Indian aviation regulator chief Arun Kumar told CNBC-TV18 in an exclusive interview.

“There is a bit of hype and unnecessary hoopla around normal events. Several times, a reject take-off or missed approach is actually a safety manoevure and enhances safety. Air travel is absolutely safe and our record is terrific,” Directorate General of Civil Aviation Director General Arun Kumar said.

The regulator keeps a regular tab on the Indian airlines  via annual surveillance plan, spot checks, night surveillance and cockpit surveillance so that only airworthy aircraft are in operation, Kumar added.

“Annual surveillance programme is the backbone of safety oversight,” Kumar said.

A total of 177 surveillance, 497 spot checks and 169 night surveillance have been carried out by DGCA on engineering and maintenance aspects of scheduled operators during the last one year between July 2021 and June 2022.

Based on the violations found during surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance carried out during 2021-22, enforcement action has been taken by DGCA against responsible personnel of an airline in 21 instances of violations.

“Aircraft is a complex sturdy machine with lakhs of components and its usage is very rigorous. India has a very young fleet and their flight dispatch reliability is one of the best in the world. Once in a while, technical snags are possible and a standard operating procedure as per globally approved norms is followed in case of any technical snag,” Kumar said.

“Passengers affected via flight diversions or delays won't be happy but safe navigation is our priority. As per last one year data, one aircraft sees 0.6 snag in a year. There may be 1-2 technical incidents in a day across 6000 flight movements. A pilot has to be alert and attentive when it comes to any sign of technical snags. Many times, an indicator for a technical snag may be false but a pilot has to respond to that as well as per SOP,” Kumar added.

He further said that technical glitches can and do happen in Indian aircraft as well as in foreign registered aircraft. In fact, there have been five technical glitches in foreign airlines reported over the last five days.

“Countries globally face technical snag incidents in aircraft, India is not an exception. We guarantee safety by following SOP and processes prescribed. Technical glitches in aircraft are not a matter to lose sleep over or to panic about. Technical snags will happen and we have to handle them with maturity. The hullabaloo over technical glitches in aircraft is unjustified,” Kumar said.

The matter of air safety has come into focus over the last month after multiple incidents of technical glitches were reported across airlines including SpiceJet, GoFIRST, IndiGo, Air India, Vistara and Air India Express related to engine glitches, windshield crack, smoke in cabin, equipment malfunction among others.

30/07/22 Anu Sharma/CNBC TV18

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List steps to raze 48 obstacles in flight path: Bombay HC to collector

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Friday directed the collector (suburbs) to list steps for demolition of 48 obstacles in the aircraft approach path to the runway at the airport in Santacruz in less than a month.

These include upper floors of houses, structures like huts on hills and even a light on a hoarding on a footbridge. The approach path is an aerial space earmarked near airports for safe takeoff and landing of aircraft.

"Let us begin with 48 obstacles from 10 years ago," said Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Makarand Karnik. These were among 137 identified in a 2010-11 survey by MIAL, the airport operator. The DGCA, after hearing the owners, had passed final demolition orders for 63. Owners of nine appealed and six complied. DGCA sent the remaining 48, at Vile Parle (E), Kurla (W) Santacruz (W) and Ghatkopar (W), to the collector for necessary action but they are yet to be removed.

The collector (suburbs), in response to a Bombay high court poser on obstacles to the city airport approach area on July 25, 2022, said the BMC should carry out the demolition in Mumbai as it is the planning authority under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966. The BMC pointed out that under the Aircraft (demolition of obstructions caused by buildings and trees, etc) Rules, 1994, it is the collector's responsibility.

The judges agreed and said the 1994 rules empower the district collector to remove obstructions. Friday's HC instruction to the collector was passed after a 2019 PIL by advocate Yeshwanth Shenoy on the danger highrises near the airport pose to aircraft. Ironically, the Airports Authority of India's guesthouse is among them.

State's advocate Manish Pabale said it is the first time the BMC has said it's not authorised; it was not pointed out in the 2018 meetings where demolition was agreed on. Moreover, the collector does not have the necessary machinery in Mumbai.

The judges said nothing prevented the collector from taking action. "Start by disconnecting electricity and water... Where you get the machinery is your headache. Corporation will assist you," said the CJ.

In the order, the judges said once Rule 8 envisages that it is the district collector who would be responsible for demolition of obstacles, "we do not approve of the collector's attempt to pass on the responsibility to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai". They noted that the BMC is willing to provide assistance. "We, therefore, hold that it is the district collector who needs to proceed with demolition of obstacles in accordance with provisions contained in Rule 8 of Aircraft Rules, 1994," the order said.

30/07/22 Rosy Sequeira/Times of India

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IAF to phase out entire MiG-21 fleet by 2025

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to retire a squadron of MiG-21 Bison aircraft by September 30. Thereafter, only three squadrons of the aircraft will remain in service, which would be phased out by 2025.

 "The 51 Squadron based out of Srinagar airport is being number plated on September 30... Thereafter, every year one squadron will be fitted with a number plate," sources said. The 51 Squadron is famous for thwarting Pakistan's air strike on India on February 27, 2019 and shooting down an F-16 by an aircraft flown by Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman. Sources said this is the only instance when a MiG-21 aircraft shot down an F-16 in an air-to-air combat. IAF is replacing MiG-21 fighter jets with more capable aircraft like Su-30 and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). In the last 20 months, 6 MiG-21 aircraft have crashed in accidents in which five pilots have lost their lives. On Thursday evening, a MiG-21 Type 69 Trainer aircraft crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan killing both the pilots.

29/07/22 IANS/Lokmat Times

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Indian Air Force to phase out entire MiG-21 fleet by 2025

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to retire a squadron of MiG-21 Bison aircraft by September 30. Thereafter, only three squadrons of the aircraft will remain in service, which would be phased out by 2025.

“The 51 Squadron based out of Srinagar airport is being number plated on September 30… Thereafter, every year one squadron will be fitted with a number plate,” sources said.

The 51 Squadron is famous for thwarting Pakistan’s air strike on India on February 27, 2019 and shooting down an F-16 by an aircraft flown by Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman.

Sources said this is the only instance when a MiG-21 aircraft shot down an F-16 in an air-to-air combat.

IAF is replacing MiG-21 fighter jets with more capable aircraft like Su-30 and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

In the last 20 months, 6 MiG-21 aircraft have crashed in accidents in which five pilots have lost their lives. On Thursday evening, a MiG-21 Type 69 Trainer aircraft crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan killing both the pilots.

The MiG-21 was supposed to be discontinued long back, but the delay in induction of the LCA Tejas aircraft has forced the IAF to continue flying these aircraft.

As per officials, the IAF conducts extensive checks of these aircraft before flight and all safety aspects are taken care of before the pilot takes off.

Officials said that the number plated squadron would be reactivated soon with more capable aircraft in the near future.

29/07/22 IANS/Siasat

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IndiGo Flight Skids Off Runway During Takeoff From Jorhat Airport In Assam

New Delhi: An IndiGo flight reportedly skidded off the runway during takeoff at the Jorhat airport in Assam on Thursday. The Indigo flight 6E757, which was scheduled to takeoff at 2.20pm, has been cancelled.

The passengers were safely evacuated from the flight and no one was injured during the accident, local media reported. The airline has not yet issued any official statement on this regard.

28/07/22 India.com

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Air India flights to US may need radio filters to counter 5G interference

New Delhi: As 5G auctions pick up pace in India, airlines in the US are racing against time to retrofit their aircraft with devices that protect against interference from frequencies that may lead to equipment malfunction.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last month asked all airlines in the US operating Boeing aircraft to install radio frequency filters before the end of this year on an “expedited basis” to prevent any disaster arising out of interference from 5G frequencies. The move is likely to impact Air India, the only Indian airline flying to the US from India. However, 5G interference-related issues are unlikely to affect domestic airlines and their operations since India is not auctioning the “problematic bandwidth” that has been red flagged by the US regulator.

It takes just a few hours to install these filters on planes. A response from the spokesperson of the Tata group, the owner of Air India, is awaited.

In January this year, Air India had cancelled eight flights to the US citing “deployment of 5G communications”. The cancelled flights included those connecting New York, Newark, San Francisco and Chicago with New Delhi.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier stated that it was closely working with US regulators to find a solution to the threat posed by 5G technologies to planes.

5G frequencies pose dangers to the functioning of radio altimeters on aircraft. These instruments are crucial to gauge the distance of the plane from the ground. Radio altimeters on commercial aircraft operate in the 4.2 to 4.4 GHz band. This is perilously close to the 3.7 to 3.93 GHz band rolled out in the US as part of that country’s 5G auctions last year.

28/07/22 Sai Manish/Business Standard

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478 technical snag-related incidences reported in planes in one year: Govt

A total of 478 technical snag-related occurrences were reported in planes between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.

"During operations, an aircraft may experience technical snags due to malfunctioning of components/equipment fitted on the aircraft which require rectification by the airlines for continued safe, efficient and reliable air transport service. These technical snags are reported by the flight crew on receiving an aural or visual warning in the cockpit or an indication of an inoperative/faulty system or while experiencing difficulty in operating the aircraft," said Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

A total of 177 surveillance, 497 spot checks and 169 night surveillance have been carried out by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on engineering and maintenance aspects of scheduled operators during the last one year (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022).

Based on the violations found during surveillance, spot checks, night surveillance carried out during 2021-22, enforcement action has been taken by DGCA against responsible personnel of the airline operator in 21 instances of violations, which inter-alia includes suspension of license, withdrawal of post holder (approved personnel to the airlines involved in the maintenance of aircraft), issuance of warning letters, etc.

The DGCA has laid down regulations under Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) which requires that the aircraft is maintained in accordance with the manufacturers' guidelines and all snags reported on the aircraft are rectified before the aircraft is released for flight. Further, CAR lays down the requirements for the approval of maintenance organisation which mandates the organisation to have required manpower, equipment and literature commensurate to the type and fleet to be maintained. Under the system, airline operators are required to ensure that the aircraft are maintained in a continuous state of air-worthiness and all defects are rectified, said the Minister.

28/07/22 IANS/Business Standard

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IAF's MiG-21 fighter jet crashes in Barmer, Rajasthan; both pilots killed

Two pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed on Thursday night when their twin-seater Mig-21 trainer aircraft crashed during a training sortie near Barmer in Rajasthan.

The IAF said the aircraft was on a sortie from Utarlai air base and the accident took place at around 9:10 pm in which both the pilots lost their lives.

The accident once again put the spotlight on the IAF's ageing fleet of Soviet-origin Mig-21 aircraft which were involved in around 200 accidents since their first induction in the early 1960s.

"A twin seater Mig-21 trainer aircraft of the IAF was airborne for a training sortie from Utarlai air base in Rajasthan this evening," the IAF said in a statement.

28/07/22 Economic Times

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SpiceJet's Mumbai-Kandla flight aborts take off as caution alert lights up

A SpiceJet aircraft heading to Kandla in Gujarat safely aborted take off on the Mumbai airport's runway on Thursday as the caution alert lit up, the airline said on Thursday.

This is at least the ninth incident of technical malfunction on a SpiceJet aircraft in the last 40 days.

On Thursday's incident, SpiceJet said, "A SpiceJet Q400 aircraft scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Kandla rejected take off owing to illumination of a caution alert. Crew acted as per the SOP (standard operating procedure)."

"There was no safety scare. The aircraft returned back to bay and all passengers and crew safely deboarded," it mentioned.

28/07/22 PTI/Telegraph

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Canada Police Arrest 2 For Murder Of Ripudaman Malik, Acquitted In 1985 Air India Bombing

New Delhi: The Canadian police have arrested two persons for the targeted killing of Ripudaman Singh Malik, a 75-year-old Sikh man acquitted in the tragic 1985 Air India Kanishka terrorist bombing case, local media reported.

Tanner Fox, 21, and Jose Lopez, 23, have been charged with first degree homicide, CBC news said.

Ripudaman Singh Malik, 75, was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia on June 15. Malik and co-accused Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted in 2005 of mass murder and conspiracy charges related to the two bombings in 1985 that killed 331 people.

Ripudaman Singh Malik's eldest son Jaspreet told reporters outside the family's $6.8-million South Surrey home after the killing that his father had no security concerns and was focused on his businesses and the volunteer work he did for his community.

"My dad never said anything to us about anybody ever threatening him or anything like that," he said. Jaspreet Malik was working at his law office when his wife called him with the news.

28/07/22 NDTV

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DGCA puts SpiceJet under 'enhanced surveillance', orders airline to operate half of allowed flights this summer

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday ordered SpiceJet to operate a truncated schedule — half of the allowed fights — this summer. The airline has also been put under "enhanced surveillance” for 8 weeks.

The cash-strapped airline will be allowed to scale up operations only after proving that it has “sufficient, technical support and financial resource to safely and efficiently undertake such enhanced capacity.”

The aviation regulator issued an interim order on Wednesday on the showcase notice it had issued to the airline on July 5 and after receiving its comments on the same within the given three weeks.

SpiceJet anyway has been operating about 300 flights daily in past few weeks which is half of the approved weekly 4,100-odd flights. So this order may have no impact on the airline operationally, apart from planes that are being subjected to stricter checks.

"We are not cancelling a single flight due to this order," said airline sources.

All financially strained airlines have cut down on the number of flights as domestic traffic has fallen sharply after record high jet fuel prices and record low value of rupee forced fare hikes. This has led to a fall in the number of daily domestic flyers to below 3 lakh compared to pre-Covid level of about 4.2 lakh.

“In view of findings of various spot checks, inspections and the reply to the show cause notice for continued sustenance of safe and reliable air transport service, the number of departures of SpiceJet are hereby restricted to 50% of the number of departures approved under summer schedule of eight weeks from (July 27, 2022).… Any increase in the number of departures beyond 50% of the number of departures approved under summer schedule 2022, during this period, shall be subject to the airline demonstrating to the satisfaction of DGCA that it has sufficient technical support and financial resource to safely and efficiently undertake such enhanced capacity,” the order issued by DGCA joint DG Maneesh Kumar said.

27/07/22 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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DGCA finds no safety violation after spot checks on 48 SpiceJet aircraft: Government

The minister of state for civil aviation, V K Singh, on Monday informed that DGCA did not find any major safety violations after it conducted 53 spot checks on 48 SpiceJet aircraft between July 9 and July 13.

"However, as a safety measure, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered SpiceJet to use certain identified aircraft (10) for operations only after confirming to the regulator that all reported defects/malfunctions are rectified," reported PTI citing Singh.

SpiceJet planes were involved in at least eight technical malfunction incidents in the 18-day period starting June 19, following which the DGCA had on July 6 issued a show-cause notice to the airline, stating that "poor internal safety oversight" and "inadequate maintenance actions" have resulted in degradation of safety margins.

Just three days after issuing the notice, the regulator started conducting spot checks on SpiceJet planes, Singh stated. The spot checks were completed on July 13.

"A total of 53 spot checks were carried out on 48 aircraft which did not find any major significant finding or safety violation," he mentioned.

The DGCA's safety oversight process involves series of successive follow up steps which includes communication of observations or findings to the airlines for taking corrective action, review of corrective action taken by the airlines for taking a decision, and initiating enforcement action consisting of warning, suspension, cancellation or imposition of financial penalty to the person or the airline involved, he noted.

In its notice to SpiceJet on July 6, the regulator had said that the airline has failed to "establish safe, efficient and reliable air services" under the the Aircraft Rules, 1937.

"The review (of the incidents) transpires that poor internal safety oversight and inadequate maintenance actions (as most of the incidents were related to either component failure or system-related failure) have resulted in degradation of the safety margins," the notice added.

The regulator gave airline three weeks to respond to the notice.

25/07/22 Economic Times

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Rectified defects identified in 10 aircrafts, says Spicejet

New Delhi: Budget carrier SpiceJet said that it rectified the defects and malfunctions identified in 10 planes by the DGCA and all these ten aircraft are back in operation. The rectification had been done immediately after the DGCA observation.

"A series of spot checks were carried out recently on all operating aircraft of M/s Spicejet from 9th July 2022 to 13th July 2022. A total of 53 spot checks were carried out on 48 aircraft which did not find any major significant finding or safety violation," the aviation ministry told Rajya Sabha in a reply to a question.

The ministry further informed Parliament that DGCA had carried out the regulatory audit of three scheduled airlines, including SpiceJet as per published Annual Surveillance Programme (ASP) 2022.

The civil aviation ministry also informed Parliament that the crew of the SpiceJet flight that was diverted to Karachi on July 5 did not declare emergency nor was there any fuel leak in the aircraft.

In reply to a separate question on a flight diversion to Karachi, the ministry said, "Cabin crew did not declare emergency. Post landing check and inspection at Karachi did not reveal fuel leak."

"I am happy that the findings of the various checks carried out by the DGCA on our fleet have been made public by the government. SpiceJet has been running a safe airline for 17 years and this is a vindication of not only our stand but the love and trust shown by our passengers who have made SpiceJet the country's most popular airline flying with the highest loads for the past seven years.

26/07/22 IANS/Daijiworld

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Aircraft absolutely safe, DGCA found no safety violation: SpiceJet

SpiceJet has said that a series of spot checks by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found no “major significant finding or safety violation” in its fleet, said the airline, quoting the aviation safety regulator. 

The airline added that the regulator informed the Rajya Sabha on July 25, “A series of spot checks were carried out recently on all operating aircraft of M/s Spicejet from 9th July 2022 to 13th July 2022. A total of 53 spot checks were carried out on 48 aircraft which did not find any major significant finding or safety violation.”

The airline called this a “major vindication” for SpiceJet. It said that the Civil Aviation Ministry also informed the Parliament that the crew of the SpiceJet flight that was diverted to Karachi on July 5 did not declare an emergency nor was there any fuel leak in the aircraft. In reply to a separate question, SpiceJet said,  “Cabin crew did not declare an emergency. Post landing check and inspection at Karachi did not reveal a fuel leak.”

It added that the defects and malfunctions identified in 10 planes by the DGCA have also been rectified and are back in action. SpiceJet said that the rectification was done immediately after the DGCA observation. 

DGCA had informed the Parliament that it carried out the regulatory audit of the airline, as per the Annual Surveillance Programme (ASP) 2022, it said. 

Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, “SpiceJet has been running a safe airline for 17 years and this is a vindication of not only our stand but the love and trust shown by our passengers who have made SpiceJet the country’s most popular airline flying with the highest loads for the past seven years.”

26/07/22 Business Today

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Aviation safety depends on ‘ATC more than pilot’, says Bombay HC judge referring to Runway 34 movie

While hearing a plea on dangers to aircraft by high-rises near Mumbai airport the Bombay HC court remarked that in aviation everything depends on air traffic control and anything can happen with one mistake. A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik was hearing public interest litigation filed by advocate Yashwant Shenoy, seeking action against the construction of buildings above the prescribed height limit in the vicinity of the city airport.

As per Shenoy, these buildings pose a risk to aircraft taking off and landing at the airport here and may someday lead to any untoward incident. Chief Justice Datta said the issue concerns everyone. He also referred to the recently released Ajay Devgn-starrer Hindi film "Runway 34." 

"I happened to see a movie 'Runway 34,' Nothing depends on the pilot. Everything depends on the air traffic control," Chief Justice Datta said. "We think the pilot has announced that we are set for landing or take off and the temperature outside is so and so and everything is fine. But it all depends on several other factors. One mistake here and there...Anything can happen," he said.

The bench directed the Maharashtra government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to file their affidavits on what action it has taken on the issue. The court said it would hear the matter further on Friday.

26/07/22 Zee News

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Pilot Injured As Trainer Aircraft Crashes In Pune, DGCA Starts Probe

In the latest mishap to hit the Indian civil aviation sector, a single-seater trainer aircraft crashed in Maharashtra's Pune district on Monday and its woman pilot suffered injuries.

The aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has started an investigation to ascertain the cause of the incident, said Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in a tweet.

He further said, "The trainee aircraft crash in Indapur, Pune District is unfortunate. No fatalities have been reported. Praying for the recovery of injured pilot, Ms Bhavika Rathod."

The incident took place at Kadbanwadi in Indapur tehsil around 11.30 am, a police official said.          

He said that the aircraft, belonging to a private aviation school, had taken off from Baramati airport in Pune.

The pilot named Bhavika Rathod received minor injuries and was admitted to a hospital for treatment, the official said.         

He added the aircraft was damaged. Visuals shared by journalists and news organisations on the internet show damage to the aircraft and pilot at the scene.

The crash comes at a time when DGCA is investigating a string of of aviation mishaps in recent times, several of which happened in quick succession. 

25/07/22 Outlook

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Bomb scare on IndiGo flight hits Patna airport

A bomb scare on an IndiGo airlines Patna to Delhi flight caused panic and brought the operations to a standstill at the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Bihar capital here on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.

The incident occurred when passengers had boarded flight 6E 2126 and it was ready to take off at around 8.55pm on Thursday. One passenger was heard claiming that he had a bomb in his bag and would explode it.

According to the sources the passenger, identified as one Rishi Chand Singh Bedi, apparently mentally disturbed, talked about the bomb apparently in an argument with his parents who were travelling with him.

Bedi’s words were enough to cause and alarm among the other passengers and the aircraft crew. His parents tried hard to convince others that he had spoken in anger and it should not be taken seriously, but it did not have much affect and everybody panicked.

“The Central Industrial Security Force control room received a call from Indigo Airlines at 8.55pm that one of their passengers — Rishi Chand Singh Bedi, 24 — mentioned about a bomb in Patna – Delhi flight 6E 2126, whose scheduled departure was at 8.20pm,” Patna airport director Anchal Prakash said.

It threw the airport into a tizzy with necessary standard operation protocol (SOP) being initiated and a meeting of the bomb threat assessment committee (BTAC) being convened to assess the situation. All the 134 passengers were quickly deboarded.  “No suspicious object was found in the anti-sabotage check. The IndiGo airlines cancelled the flight and Bedi was handed over to the police,” Prakash said.

23/07/22 Dev Raj/Telegraph

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DGCA grounds plane, off-rosters crew, orders probe

Mumbai: After an Air India Dubai Kochi flight suffered loss of cabin pressurisation and was diverted to Mumbai where it landed safely, the DGCA initiated an inquiry into the episode. "The aircraft has been grounded and the crew has been off-rostered," Arun Kumar, director general, civil aviation, said. An Air India spokesperson said the flight, AI-934, was diverted to Mumbai due to a technical issue and another aircraft was being arranged to fly the passengers to Kochi.

In recent months, the country has witnessed a rise in air turnbacks and flight diversions over engineering issues.

Jet aircraft fly at high altitudes with a pressurised fuselage that maintains pressure and temperature at levels physiologically fit for humans. While most jets have cabin air pressure equivalent to that experienced at an altitude of 8000 feet, the Dreamliner, with its composite fuselage, can maintain a lower cabin pressure of about 6,000 feet.

22/07/22 Manju v/Times of India

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