Jet pilot benched for violating safety norms

MUMBAI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has benched an examiner-rank Jet Airways pilot for a series of safety violations last week. Captain Manoj

MUMBAI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has benched an examiner-rank Jet Airways pilot for a series of safety violations last week. Captain Manoj Airon is facing charges of occupying the co-pilot’s seat on a Delhi-Bengaluru flight when he was booked to travel as a passenger, said sources in the aviation safety regulator.

HT Image

To save himself from getting caught, he allegedly deleted the flight’s record from the airline’s rostering system. But a parallel entry in the tech-log book signed by pilots before take-offs exposed the alleged violation, sources added. “We found evidence on the violations during a surprise inspection,” said a senior air safety official from the DGCA requesting anonymity.

“As this matter is currently under investigation, we cannot comment on the details,” read a statement issued by the airline.

The safety regulator’s probe also found that Captain Airon pilot’s proficiency check, a mandatory by-yearly test, was pending and he had operated some flights in violation of the Flight Duty Timing Limitations rules.

Flight rosters for pilots are made based on scientific studies that link flying hours with travel fatigue. Pilots violating these limits indirectly put passengers at risk, added the DGCA official.