Probe ordered against two Jet pilots

A government appointed independent panel on aviation safety has warned the aviation safety regulator to act on its pending complaint against two Jet Airways pilots allegedly caught fudging flight training recordS; SoubhikMitra reports.

A government appointed independent panel on aviation safety has warned the aviation safety regulator to act on its pending complaint against two Jet Airways pilots allegedly caught fudging flight training records.

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The Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC) set up after the Air India Express crash in May 2010 on Wednesday wrote to the Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) expressing concern over the delay in action in the matter.

The body also alleged that some DGCA officials were in collusion with the airline to suppress the issue. “If the DGCA fails to act against the violations, we will report the matter to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) during their safety standard inspection next month,” said Captain Mohan Ranganathan, member, CASAC.

HT had reported on the case on April 31 when the body had first complained about discrepancies in the training records. In the complaint CASAC had alleged that Captain PP Singh was operating flights without completing proficiency checks, a mandatory test to assess a pilot’s basic flying twice a year. It also pressed for action against Captain SB Contractor who allegedly fudged training logbooks to show that Captain Singh had completed the checks.

Although the airline had denied the allegation initially, the pilots were taken off roster soon after.