AAIB officials appear before House panel, say Air India crash report soon
According to sources, the report is expected to provide the sequence of events before the accident that killed 260 people, a detailed description of the crash and the steps so far in the investigation, besides any notable findings that may have come to light.
The House panel, headed by JDU RS MP Sanjay Jha, held its scheduled meeting Wednesday with the agenda 'to hear the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation on the 'overall review of safety in the civil aviation sector'.
As many as 97 people are learnt to have deposed before the panel, among them top Ministry officials, including the secretary, AAIB officials, CEOs of the airlines operating in India, representatives of airport operators such as Adani and GMR and representatives of civil helicopter operators.
Members of the panel cutting across party lines are learnt to have told the Ministry officials there is a pervasive sense of fear among fliers about aviation safety since the crash last month and urged the Ministry to come out with a report on how the incident happened.
AAIB officials are learnt to have told the panel that the black box and voice recorder of the aircraft that crashed were intact and data was being investigated. Officials are learnt to have said that help of foreign players, including aircraft manufacturer Boeing, was also sought to carry out detailed and thorough investigations.
During the meeting, the House panel is also learnt to have flagged an overloaded Air Traffic Control (ATC) system among other issues such as lacunae in civil helicopter operations.
It is learnt that the committee discussed there was a paucity of staff at the ATC and that while in other countries ATC monitors the movement of 7 to 8 planes through one radar, in India there were as many as 30 planes on one radar. The panel is also learnt to have discussed staff shortage that ATC in India is facing apart from the vacancies in the DGCA.
Aircraft accident investigations can be extremely complex and time consuming processes, taking months and in some cases even years to conclude. A more detailed identification and analysis of the most probable causes of the Ahmedabad crash is expected over the coming months.
The AAIB-led investigation into the Ahmedabad crash is being assisted by representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Boeing, and engine manufacturer GE. An ICAO expert has also been given observer status in the investigation. —With inputs from Asad Rehman
Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
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