The Hindu Business Line : Shortcomings in aviation

The near disaster of a VVIP flight, the recent Air India advertisement for pilots, and the lack of transparency in air safety investigations show that safety regulations need to be upgraded.

A. Ranganathan

The regulations have not stipulated any minimum height for pilots and this loophole is being misused. —

A. Ranganathan

A few events in the past few months, tell the tale of the ‘Short and short’ of Indian aviation — the near disaster on February 9, 2009 at Mumbai, the recent advertisement of Air India for pilots, and the lack of transparency in air safety investigations in India.

The day the pilots of the VVIP flight carrying the President of India made a mess of the procedures to be followed, the then Chief of Air Staff came out with a stinging retort that the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) should get its act together and said his pilots were the best in the business.

When the initial findings of the Jt DGCA blamed the pilots of the IAF, the whole system went into overdrive to soft pedal the issue and the Government appointed a joint investigation team consisting of the DGCA, along with IAF and AAI representatives.

Their findings were published recently.

The following teachings of Confucius best describe the direction of the findings:

Courtesy not bounded by the rules of propriety becomes tiresome.

Caution not bounded by the rules of propriety becomes timidity. Daring becomes insubordination and straightforwardness becomes rudeness.

The salient features of the report are the following, which should have been the main thrust of the findings:

IC-866 rejected take off at high speed after sighting helicopter on the side of runway and turned to taxi track ‘W’ to avoid direct collision with the helicopter which was in front of him at distance of 30-40 meters.

MI-8 and MI-17 helicopters are not equipped with FDR (flight data recorder) and other safety equipment which are installed on civil version of these helicopters.

Pratap formation (comprising three helicopters Pratap 1, Pratap 2 and Pratap 3) landed without landing clearance from ATC (air traffic control).

Landing of Pratap 2 directly at the place of landing on Runway 27 by making a very short circuit.

Landing of Pratap 2 without landing clearance from ATC even before Pratap formation reported the finals.

Landing Pratap 1 and Pratap 3 without landing clearance.

The report misses out two very vital items.

One, the delay of 19 seconds by the captain of IC-866 in rejecting the take-off. The report clearly mentions that just 30-40 metres separated the helicopter on the runway which landed without clearance and IC-866. Another second delay in the reject action, and it would have resulted in a major disaster. The control tower officer had given three calls for IC-866 to abort the take off. This delay is far too long and should have figured in the findings.

And, two, the VVIP helicopters did not have the transponders on board or, if they did, they did not have them ON. This should have been a part of the mandatory recommendation of the findings.

The enquiry into this incident should have been straightforward and quick. Instead, it dithered for four long months for a diplomatic solution; this is one of the shortcomings of our system.

Outdated norms

The NACIL advertisement for pilots for Air India shows how outdated our safety concepts are. The advertisement says: Minimum height requirement — 152.5 cm. Note: Candidates between heights of 152.5 cm and 162.5 cm will be accepted, subject to successful ergonomic assessment check on simulator in the presence of company medical officer.

This short stature would have been acceptable for older generation aircraft. When the new generation airline jets came out, the Federal Aviation Regulation issued by the Federal Aviation Authority of the US, stipulated that the minimum height is 5’2" (157.5 cm) and the maximum 6’3" (190.5 cm).

These heights were based on the requirement of the pilot to be strapped in his seat with the seat belt and shoulder harness ON.

The pilot has to be in a position to reach the extremes of controls as well as the essential switches for various aircraft systems located in the overhead panel of the cockpit. These become very essential when there is an emergency like engine failure, flight control problems, jet upset, etc.

Air India, like all the other airlines flying in India, flies new generation aircraft. Unfortunately, our regulations have not stipulated any minimum height for pilots and this loophole is misused by all. The regulators have not bothered to update or change the rules for the past so many years.

As usual, Providence has taken care of the aviation system in India. It is time for the new regulator to implement this very important safety requirement in the rule book. A pilot who is less than the minimum height, is a liability in the cockpit. The longer this issue is delayed, the more unsafe our skies are.

Flying experience

The fatal crash of AF 447 took place just a month back. Yet, in spite of the handicap of having to conduct the recovery in deep ocean and the non-recovery of vital recorders, the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), the French investigation authorities, BEA (Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses), published their preliminary findings on July 2.

One of the questions that is being pondered is the likelihood of two co-pilots being in the cockpit at the time the aircraft lost control.

The co-pilots were not new, one had 6,500 hours and the other almost 3,000 hours of flying experience. Yet, they were overwhelmed when confronted with extreme weather conditions that they encountered.

We, in India, have a system where a brand new co-pilot with just 200 hours’ experience in a light, single engine aircraft, can be at the controls of a high performance jet with a captain having just 500 hours of experience.

Our self-confidence in our safety system is best described in the misplaced conceptions of a few warped minds — God continues to smile on Indian aviation but even he may stop short, one day.

(The author is an airline captain with 35 years of flying experience. blfeedback@thehindu.co.in)