‘Pilots, DGCA to blame for Ghatkopar plane crash’

Pilots and improper supervision by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are to blame for the crash of a chartered aircraft in Ghatkopar

Pilots and improper supervision by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are to blame for the crash of a chartered aircraft in Ghatkopar in June 2018, which killed four people on board, according to a report by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), a division of the aviation ministry.

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The report stated the crew did not inform the air traffic control about the emergency. AAIB stated that from the recording it was observed that the crew was not familiar with the cockpit and repeatedly took assistance from engineers in preparing the cockpit before take-off. “From the CVR, it was learnt that the co-pilot had asked the pilot to take a call on continuing the flight, considering the weather. However, the flight continued to operate. The pilot-in-command, however, was also later heard asking the co-pilot to make a phone call to owner UY Aviation’s operations staff and coordinate with the Mumbai and Surat airport. However, the co-pilot could not do it,” it stated. It held that the aircraft was not able to achieve the desired rate of climb during the flight and so the crew should have abandoned the flight test and returned, but they continued with the flight till the left engine fire warning was observed. The CVR was operational and working normally, except for a duration of about 5.22minutes, it stated. The report stated the probable cause of the accident was “stalling of aircraft owing to lack of situational awareness of the crew, which was due to spatial disorientation triggered by deteriorating weather, and unexpected bang owing to differential engine power”. It stated that the DGCA gave airport operating permit to the operator, ignoring the requisites, and UY Aviation was functioning without an adequate flight safety mechanism.

Rajeev Gupta, chief executive officer of parent company Indamer Aviation did not respond to HT’s calls.

Experts have raised questions on the report, as it blamed only the pilots. A senior officer said, “The aircraft was not worthy of flying but the report has put the entire blame on dead pilots. Although the pilots could not have been very familiar with the cockpit, as stated in the report, one can’t ignore the condition of the aircraft.” “The report is unclear. An aircraft that was being operated after years should have had the pilots performing the engine run-up and should have been flown to a very short distance. Also, it was a small aircraft, no additional person apart from the two pilots should have been onboard,” said an expert from the industry.

Prabhat Kathuria, husband of co- pilot Marya Zuberi, said, “The report clearly states that lack of adequate control over maintenance activities at Indamer Aviation, poor maintenance practices and slow transition to rules were factors in the accident. The DGCA report also clearly shows that five minutes of cockpit voice recording was missing. It’s a shameful report by the AAIB . An FIR is already registered at Ghatkopar police station under section 304 and such a report by them will further add sections of destruction of evidence by government employees.”

The report also blamed the DGCA and recommended them to devise a procedure to ensure that all aircraft registered with it are maintained and preserved in a proper manner during the period it is grounded. It also recommended Indamer aviation ensure their engineers are issued certification authorisation as per rules.