Aviation News May 21 2011

A case that was settled eight months before the verdict

Air India Express flight 812: An investigation gone hauntingly wrong-III

By Jacob K Philip
It was three months after the Air India Express Crash that killed 158 people that the Court of Inquiry (CoI) appointed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation interviewed the survivors of the crash.
They were questioned during the first public hearing of the CoI held during August 17 to 19 at Mangalore Airport old terminal.
Of the 8 survivors, six had reached the airport to appear before the CoI, on getting summons.
The questioning of all the six was along the same line.
There were queries regarding the behavior of the cockpit as well as cabin crew during the flight, about the possibility of excess luggage on board etc.
Those questions were obviously as per the following rules of the Manual of Accident/ incident investigation

Rule 9.15.2

....The crew histories should cover their overall experience, their
activities, especially during the 72 hours prior to the occurrence, and their behavior during the events leading up to the occurrence.

Rule 9.15.4:

.. Since weight balance and load are critical factors that affect aircraft stability and control..... It will be necessary to check flight manual load data sheets, fuel records, freight and passenger documentation to arrive at a final estimate. Elevator trim settings may give a clue to the centre of gravity at the time of the occurrence.

But one of the questions that put forward to all the six survivors was really perplexing and alarming.

Do you think the accident occurred because of the fault of the pilot?

What kind of an answer was the CoI was expecting?
What if the answer was "no"? Would the CoI would have decided to believe them and furthered the investigation along that line?
And what if the replies were in affirmative? Could they have used it as a supporting fact in the final report while putting the blame on the pilot?
We know the answer.
Then what actually was the purpose of the question?
It could have been only to give a pre-conceived idea to the witness; only to create an atmosphere conducive enough where the guilty-pilot-theory readily accepted.
The very question was also in plain violation of the Manual of Accident/ incident investigation also.
Rule 7.2.1

The investigation of aircraft accidents and incidents has to be strictly objective and totally impartial and must also be perceived to be so.

The selective leaking of the relevant portions of the ATC tapes and CVR that put the blame squarely on the Commander of the aircraft as well as the first officer may be read along with this.
The total disregard by the CoI, from the very beginning, of the option of exploring the possibility of a faulty aircraft was also in perfect harmony with this.
Making available the whole content of the black boxes- CVR & DFDR- to the representatives of Boeing Company days before them testifying before the Court of Inquiry was also in tune with that particular scheme of things.
Imagine a situation where, one of the accused in a murder case appearing before the court after studying very well the case diary supplied by the police themselves.
And try to visualize also the situation where the respondents of the same case are being lead by the judges themselves along pre-determined paths where they are coerced into blaming some one particular.
20/05/11 Decision Height/Aviation India

Survivors’ careers still grounded

Eight passengers survived when the Air India flight from Dubai carrying 166 people on board crashed on landing in Mangalore on May 22 last year. But, even if they came out alive, in the case of most, their careers have floundered. Some are killing time sitting at home.Joel Prathap D'Souza, 25, who lives with his parents at Vamanjoor, is a dejected man. "I suffered a slipped disc in the crash. I can no longer do any kind of hard work. I lost my job. My current physical condition limits my opportunities in the job market. I am depressed because I have neither received any other job nor compensation."Air India has not had the courtesy to call and inquire about my health. I sometimes wish that I had died in the crash rather than live in this condition.”Krishnan Kooli Kunnu, 48, of Uduma Mangad, Kasargod in Kerala, used to work in a private company in Dubai, but is now sitting at home without a job.Mayan Kutty K P, 48, of Kannur in Kerala had worked in Saudi Arabia for 15 years and in Dubai for six years. He returned to Dubai six months after the crash. "I worked for three months, but realised that, mentally, I was not the way I used to be. I could not concentrate on work and decided to return. But, I am yet to cancel my visa as I hope to go back.”Abdulla Puttur, 36, is desperately looking for a job. In January, he flew to Dubai on a visit visa, but returned when he could not get a job. "About two weeks ago, officials from Air India called and promised to get me a job,” he said.Pradeep G Kotian, who still experiences pain in his right wrist, said, "At the time of the crash, Air India had assured jobs to survivors, but so far we have received nothing. My visa has expired and I lost my job as a technician (maintenance) in a private company in Dubai.” He has joined his friend's hardware business.
21/05/11 Deepthi Shridhar/Bangalore Mirror

Mangalore airport to get new ATC tower, safer runway

Mumbai: A year after the Air India Express Boeing 737 crash at the Mangalore Airport which killed 158 people, the airport is set to get a new air traffic control (ATC) tower and a safer runway.The court of inquiry by air marshal (retd) B N Gokhale, which probed the May 22 crash, has recommended the construction of a new ATC tower for a better view of the airport. Other upgrades include improved runway markings and elevation of the runway-end safety area.The current ATC tower at the Mangalore Airport is situated at one end of the 2,450-metre long runway. Since the height of the tower is low, it does not offer controllers a good view of the airport. The court of inquiry said on May 22, 2010, the on-duty air traffic controller was unable to see the Boeing 737 at the end of the runway, and according to standard practice, had radioed the plane to backtrack on the runway.
The AAI has now drawn up plans for to construct an ATC tower and a radar control room at a distance of 2,000 feet from the point where runway 24/06 begins.
"We have floated tenders for the ATC tower. It would cost about Rs 26.5 crore, and would be completed in eighteen months after the bid is finalised,'' said Mangalore airport Director, M R Vasudeva. He claimed there were no concerns regarding the view of the runway from the current tower.
However, the construction of an approach radar, which can track planes within 50 miles, would take more time. The airport currently has only a route surveillance radar, which tracks planes beyond 50 miles.
21/05/11 /Aneesh PhadnisBusiness Standard

They are still in shock

Udupi: Although it is a year since the Mangalore air crash, members of four families in and around Udupi, who lost a relative each in the crash, are still struggling to come to terms with the tragedy and loss of their loved ones.As many as 158 people lost their lives when the Air India Express plane crashed near Bajpe on May 22, 2010.
Prabhakar Devadiga of Kemthur village, who lost his brother Jayaprakash Devadiga (28) in the crash, said: "We are still in a shock. We cannot forget the pain of losing him. He was coming for his first holiday after working for three years in Dubai. All the eight persons in that row of the plane survived, but not Jayaprakash.”
Shailesh Rao (41) was on his way to attend the funeral of his mother Neeradha Bai (65), who died on May 21, 2010 here, when he was killed in the crash. Shaliesh was working as a clerk-cum-translator at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City at Abu Dhabi.Shailesh's 75-year-old father B. Yathindranath said that he was suffering from slip disc, heart problem and hypertension.Nabisa Begum of Kodavoor, who lost her son Naveed Ibrahim (23) in the crash, was overcome with grief. Naveed's father B.H. Abubakar works in the fisheries industry at Malpe. Naveed was second among the four sons.Shreyas S. Kumar of class 12 at Vidyodaya Pre-University College here lost his father Sanjay Kumar, who was working as Executive Manager at United Colour Films in Dubai, in the crash.He said though the pain of losing his father was still there, he had come to terms with it.Sanjay's elder sister Amita Jayaprakash, who could not control her tears, said: "It is impossible to forget my brother. My 82-year-old mother Savitri Mahabal embraces Shreyas and weeps whenever she remembers Sanjay...”
21/05/11 Ganesh V. Prabhu/The Hindu

Pilots fear fatigue, question rest rules

Mumbai: Does India make its pilots work longer than the US or the UK? Yes, it seems, if reports submitted by two pilots' groups are to be believed.
A year after the May 22 Mangalore air crash killed 158 people, a lot remains to be done to mitigate pilot fatigue. The Flight and Duty Time Limitation (FDTL), rules which govern work-rest schedule for pilots, currently followed in India were formulated way back in 1992.The International Civil Aviation Organisation called for scientifically-backed FDTL a few years ago, but the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) came up with a new draft FDTL, only in March this year. However, reports submitted by some pilots bodies claim that the new draft, called Civil Aviation Requirement 7 (CAR 7), actually reduces pilot rest period in some cases.Fatigue-study is a complicated issue involving a number of factors like geographic location of the country, its climatology, social and genetic factors, circadian rhythms etc. Across the world, the trend has been to increase the rest hours or rather structure the duty hours in such a way that cockpit crew fatigue is kept under check to as much extent as possible.In its submission to the DGCA, the Indian Pilots Guild, the union of Air India pilots, gave an example to point out how the pilots will be a more tired lot under the new Indian rules. It said if the Flight Duty Time (this includes flying time, plus time spent on the ground) to operate a Mumbai-London flight was 11.20 hours then under the new draft CAR, a pilot operating a Mumbai-London flight will get only 14 hours of rest. The current rules allow for 19.10 hours of rest.
21/05/11 Manju V/Times of India

Jet in talks for aircraft sale & leaseback

Mumbai: With the Bombay high court clearing the decks for settlement of its long-standing feud with Sahara, Jet Airways has initiated talks for sale and lease back of some of its Boeing aircraft.The Naresh Goyal-promoted company is also hopeful of closing the development deal for its Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) plot in Mumbai in two weeks.
"The airline is in talks for a sale and lease back for some of the planes and there are proposals for the entire fleet, but we will not go for all of it in one shot,” a senior official stated during an earnings call on Friday.Jet has 21 aircraft available. A sale and lease back is expected to bring in cash flow of $8-9 million per aircraft.
Company officials said the number of planes for this kind of an arrangement has not been decided. Sale and lease back is a common practice amongst airlines wherein the carrier sells its aircraft to leasing companies at a higher value and leases them back at monthly rentals.
The airline is also optimistic of selecting a developer for its BKC plot in two weeks. Godrej Properties and Jet Airways were in talks to develop this plot.
21/05/11 Amritha Pillay/Daily News & Analysis

Air India defaults on interest payment for the first time

The airline, which is saddled with a massive debt of Rs 40,000 crore, has outstanding interest payments of Rs 400 crore for the last two months, according to persons with direct knowledge of the matter.If a company fails to pay instalment (principal and interest) for three consecutive months, lenders have the right to classify the loan as a non-performing asset ( NPA )). Air India borrowed loans from a consortium of 22 banks led by SBI.Air India finds itself in a tight spot as public sector banks refused to offer loans to service its debt. The airline has accumulated losses to the tune of Rs 16,000 crore over the last three years.
"We have reached an upper limit for funding Air India and are unable to lend more," said a senior official close to PSU banks . Air India has written to the government asking for the payment of Rs 1,035 crore dues the latter owes the airline for hiring charted planes for VIP travel. The government will pay part of that amount to Air India by this month. This amount will be used by Air India to pay the interest amount, according to sources."The government will pay us part of the dues. So, we should be getting around Rs 350 crore from the government by next week, which we will use to pay the interest," said a senior Air India official, on condition of anonymity. Air India's spokesperson declined to give an official comment on the development.
21/05/11 Nisha Poddar & Sameer Hashmi/Economic Times

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