E-Paper
Safety concerns grow amidst surge in training aircraft mishaps
In a statement, the DGCA explained that the Redbird Academy Tecnam aircraft with registration VT-RBT had to make an emergency landing near the Baramati airfield
PUNE: Two incidents of crash landing at Baramati of the training aircraft of Redbird Flight Training Academy Private Limited within four days – with the pilot and co-pilot sustaining injuries in both mishaps – have swung the spotlight on aircraft safety standards and the role of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the apex regulatory body which looks into flight safety standards and allied aspects of civil aviation in the country (including training). The incidents in question occurred on October 19 and October 22 within a few days of each other. What’s more, the October 22 incident is also the seventh such incident in the past five years wherein a training aircraft met with a mishap.
In a statement, the DGCA explained that the Redbird Academy Tecnam aircraft with registration VT-RBT had to make an emergency landing near the Baramati airfield. Fortunately, both the instructor and trainee emerged unharmed. Further investigation is underway to determine the cause of the emergency landing.
On his part, Redbird Academy president Karan Mann said that the highest standards of aircraft safety are followed by his academy in accordance with the guidelines of the DGCA. “It is the largest pilot training academy in the Asia-Pacific region and at Baramati, we have more than 100,000 hours of flying experience. Since it is a big institution, it is natural that more incidents happen and all are reported. It is a new age flying school and everything is reported including incidents of hard landing as the entire process has been put under CCTV surveillance,” Mann said.
In Pune district, Baramati is the biggest and largest base for aviation academies with 18 aircraft out of which, 12 are Tecnam and six are Cessna 172 aircraft. Currently, Pune has at least six aviation academies offering training facilities and aviation courses to aspirants. The two aviation training academies - Redbird and Academy of Carver Aviation Private Limited - offer flight operation training. Redbird claims that it is one of the largest civil aviation training schools in the Asia-Pacific region. The Redbird website states that all aspiring and existing pilots can find all their aviation needs at Redbird Aviation. It offers a comprehensive range of courses by its own flight training organisation that uses state-of-the-art classrooms, simulators and single and multi-engine aircraft. Courses like commercial pilots’ license, private pilots’ license, conversion flying, and flight instructors’ courses are offered by the academy.
Earlier on July 26, 2022, a trainee pilot was injured in a crash near Kadbanwadi. In June 2022, the DGCA stopped flying at the NMIMS Academy of Aviation in Shirpur (Dhule district) due to safety concerns. On September 20, 2021, a Tecnam P2008JC aircraft VT-RBE of the Redbird Academy met with an accident at Baramati Airport while carrying out a solo circuit and landing. The aircraft overshot the runway and was substantially damaged though there were no injuries. In July 2019, the Academy of Carver Aviation Private Limited’s aircraft with the call sign VT-RDX, flown by pilot Siddharth Titus, crashed in a village in Baramati. On February 5, 2019, a trainee aircraft crashed in the Babir Rui village.
Civil aviation expert Dhairyasheel Vandekar said, “Of late, the number of flying schools has increased and there are multiple reasons which could be responsible for crash landing incidents. It could be human error, maintenance issues, non-adherence to DGCA guidelines, insufficient instructor supervision, ineffective teaching methodology, and non-compliance with DGCA circulars. Aviation is a zero-error field and very complex in nature where rigorous adherence to safety guidelines and SOPs alone can guarantee aircraft safety.”
