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Air India suspends pilots for allowing friend inside cockpit
DGCA circular dated September 3, 2019 says, no person can enter the cockpit unless they are a crew member or an authorised person specified in the guidelines.
An Air India pilot was de-rostered for six months for allowing a friend inside the cockpit of a Delhi-Leh flight, in violation of safety norms, earlier this month, officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
The two pilots were taken off duty as the airline began its probe into the incident on June 3. A thorough investigation found the senior pilot, Captain Rahul Singh, culpable for the lapses, the officials said. The second pilot was, meanwhile, de-rostered for a month.
According to an official, who did not wish to be named, Captain Singh had allowed a helicopter pilot, who was travelling as a passenger, inside the cockpit of flight AI 445 after it took off from Delhi on June 3. The matter was reported by a male crew upon returning to Delhi.
“Captain Singh pilot has been de-rostered for a period of six months for violating civil aviation rules. The airline is considering whether further action needs to be taken,” the official said.
It is not clear yet whether the pilots will be paid during their period of suspension.
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While an Air India official earlier said that the matter was reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), there was no clarity if the civil aviation regulator initiated any action against the pilot. HT reached out to DGCA for a response, but did not get one immediately.
HT reached out to Air India for an official statement, and Captain Singh, on the action taken against him, but did not immediately get any response.
As per a DGCA circular dated September 3, 2019, no person can enter the cockpit unless they are a crew member, an officer of the civil aviation department or India Meteorological Department authorised by DGCA, an officer in the civil aviation ministry of the rank of join secretary and above, an employee of the aircraft operator with permission of the pilot-in-command (PIC), officials of the airline or any crew member of the aircraft operator with PIC’s permission, a duly authorised representative of the manufacturer of the airport with prior permission of PIC, or any person authorised by DGCA. Any of the above persons authorised to enter the cockpit can only do so after a pre-flight and post-flight breathalyser test, according to the circular.
On Tuesday, an Air India spokesperson said the airline has “zero-tolerance” for such violation of regulations. “Air India has a Just Culture approach to all safety related events and has zero tolerance for deliberate breaches of regulations. Such breaches are dealt with on a serious basis and sanctions will be imposed on those who are in breach of the regulations,” the spokesperson said.
This is the second such incident reported in nearly four months.
On February 27, an Air India pilot had invited his woman friend inside the cockpit of a Delhi-Dubai flight in violation of safety norms.
After HT exclusively reported the incident on April 21, DGCA suspended the pilot-in-command Captain Harsh Suri’s licence for three months. The civil aviation regulator also imposed a fine of ₹30 lakh on Air India for “not effectively addressing” the incident. It further directed the airline to take administrative action against the pilot-in-command’s friend, a woman airline staff, who was “travelling as passenger”.
A few Air India officials, however, alleged lack of prompt and stern action by the airline in such cases of violations.
“Had the airline taken stringent and prompt action against the pilot in the earlier (February) case, it would have sent out a strong message to all pilots and avoided a repetition of such incidents,” one of them said, seeking anonymity.
However, another official said that the airline’s move to de-roster Captain Singh shows it was on the correct path. “In the previous case, DGCA had suspended the pilot’s licence for three months. In this case, the airline proactively not only took action against the pilot, but also informed the regulator. This step taken by the airline has sent a strong message to the pilot community,” the official, who also did not wish to be named, concluded.
