DGCA panel to probe Air India cockpit ‘guest’ incident
DGCA forms panel to investigate the pilot-in-charge allegedly entertaining a woman friend in the cockpit
India’s aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday constituted a committee to investigate an incident on Air India’s Dubai-Delhi flight AI 915 on February 27, when the pilot-in-charge allegedly entertained a woman friend in the cockpit in violation of rules and safety norms.
The pilot, Harsh Suri, the co-pilot, and a crew member who made the allegation in a complaint to Air India, were questioned on Friday, hours after HT first reported the story about the alleged incident.
“The complainant, pilot-in-command, first officer (co-pilot) and another crew were summoned by DGCA on Friday. DGCA has constituted a committee to probe the matter and all crews’ statements were recorded by the committee formed,” people aware of the investigation told HT, asking not to be named.
Suri declined to comment on the matter when reached over a phone call.
Also read | Air India's London-bound flight returns to Delhi after passenger hits cabin crew
An Air India spokesperson did not respond to queries over whether Suri had been taken off duty, as is usually the case when an airline staff is put under investigation for a serious violation, but a person aware of the matter said he was still on duty.
“We have taken serious note of the reported incident and investigations are underway in Air India. The matter is reported to the DGCA and we are cooperating with their investigations. We have zero tolerance in aspects related to the safety and well-being of our passengers and will take requisite action,” said a statement by the airline’s spokesperson.
{{/usCountry}}“We have taken serious note of the reported incident and investigations are underway in Air India. The matter is reported to the DGCA and we are cooperating with their investigations. We have zero tolerance in aspects related to the safety and well-being of our passengers and will take requisite action,” said a statement by the airline’s spokesperson.
{{/usCountry}}Read | ‘Captain went to…’: IAS officer slams Go First flight delay
{{/usCountry}}Read | ‘Captain went to…’: IAS officer slams Go First flight delay
{{/usCountry}}“The investigation team will evaluate relevant facts,” a DGCA official said, asking not to be named.
{{/usCountry}}“The investigation team will evaluate relevant facts,” a DGCA official said, asking not to be named.
{{/usCountry}}An official close to the investigation said the crew on Friday were asked specific questions related to the incident. “All details related to the incident were noted by the DGCA,” the official said, adding that the cabin crew raised questions on the pilot’s mental health.
{{/usCountry}}An official close to the investigation said the crew on Friday were asked specific questions related to the incident. “All details related to the incident were noted by the DGCA,” the official said, adding that the cabin crew raised questions on the pilot’s mental health.
{{/usCountry}}The complainant, who said that she was operating with the pilot for the first time, also accused Suri of making sexist remarks. “I would also like to place on record that during the course of the flight the Captain made various sexist comments about female crew members to me, about the shabby recruitment being done, the looks and appearances and shape of the female crew, and that we did not react to them,” her complaint said.
“I have never interacted with him in the past, hence I did not know Captain Suri was given to bouts of high intensity loss of rationality and super-aggressive behaviour. My thoughts instantly went to the pilot of GermanWings, Andrea Lubitz, and I was very scared at what this pilot could do, when he was so violent,” the complaint added.
The reference was to GermanWings flight 9525, which crashed after Lubitz is believed to have deliberately put the plane into a nosedive. To be sure, only preliminary questioning has taken place and HT is not aware of any other complaints or reports doubting the Air India pilot’s mental health.
“The regulator is looking into the matter with various angles as the complaint had also alleged the pilot of passing sexist remarks,” the official cited above added, asking not to be named.
Officials said the woman whom Suri brought into the cockpit – the complaint alleged she sat in the first observer seat and the pilot ordered the crew to bring pillows so that the cockpit appeared “welcoming, warm and comfortable like a living room” – was travelling as a staff on duty (SOD).
Her entry into the cockpit, however, violated DGCA norms as she had not underdone the mandatory breathalyzer (BA) test.
The complaint also pointed to the woman friend of the captain for violating rules governing staff travelling on duty. “She sat in the cockpit whilst one pilot was sleeping, when that is neither permitted by Air India rules or DGCA CAR. She should have been cognisant of the flight safety protocols being a crew member herself,” the complaint said, adding that the crew was asked to serve alcohol in the cockpit, which is a serious violation of the rules.
