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Wednesday, Apr 21, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

SAFETY AUDIT FOR AIRCRAFT

THE TRAGIC CRASH of a Cessna 180 aircraft, in which four persons including a talented and popular actress Soundarya died near Bangalore last week, is another case that has underlined the theme of safety. Airworthiness and air safety have come to the fore as critical issues at a time when the country is switching over to an open skies policy and more corporate houses are acquiring their own small aircraft for the convenience of top management. The proliferation of small aircraft and helicopters asks for greater responsibility on the part of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation and the Directorates of Air Safety and Airworthiness. It is not enough for the Aviation authorities and regulators to lay down guidelines and norms for the maintenance of such private aircraft and conditions for their leasing or hiring. There has to be a more pro-active approach to enforcing those rules and regulations and ensuring that every aircraft and helicopter that is allowed to operate in the country complies with these norms. The problem becomes acute during election season when most political parties and affluent candidates try and arrange some aircraft for VIPs to campaign in particular constituencies.

From the start of this election campaign, there have been several minor and a couple of serious mishaps involving aircraft. Last month, one of the aircraft accompanying the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, on one of her election tours, virtually broke into half but the passengers had a providential escape. During the last election, the popular Congress leader, Madhavrao Scindia, died in an air crash. Nothing is known about what came of the mandatory inquiry into these accidents. As for the Bangalore accident, it may be true that the Cessna aircraft had a certificate of airworthiness valid until June this year. But considering the fact that the aircraft was nearly 40 years old, it would have been useful and life-saving to have its airworthiness checked before every flight. Given the impatience of the hiring party or person to get an aircraft to fly out the VIP and the insistence of leaders or charismatic personalities on saving time and energy by flying from one place to another, the onus is on the owner of the aircraft to ensure its safety and that of the passengers.

As the former Director-General of Civil Aviation, M.R. Sivaraman, has said, a "safety audit" in the aviation sector will go a long way in ensuring safety. Specifically in the Bangalore case, it would have been worthwhile if all parties concerned had looked into the safety factors — the person who hired the aircraft, Agni Aviation, the staff at the Jakkur airfield and the pilot himself should have gone into the relevant records. Apart from the airworthiness of the aircraft, factors such as the number of passengers, the seating arrangement, the facilities for take-off and arrival, the availability of qualified staff to assist in these operations and the timing as well as visibility have to be verified meticulously before operating a flight. Perhaps these norms are observed only in the case of VVIPs who embark on a whistle-stop campaign. The airstrips they land in are checked and the aircraft transporting them are not allowed to land or take off after 6 p.m. or without the basic parameters of visibility. Recently Prime Minister Vajpayee had to drive down from Nellore to Chennai because it was not safe for the helicopter to take off from Nellore after the public meeting ended. The rules are clear. If they are enforced without fear or favour, lives can be saved.

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