Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
A yr after Kerala crash, probe report still stuck
Recently, the Centre informed Parliament that the report is likely to be released by the end of August
MUMBAI: A year after an Air India Express plane crashed at Kozhikode in Kerala, killing 20 people including two pilots, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is yet to release a preliminary report on the cause of the mishap. Recently, the Centre informed Parliament that the report is likely to be released by the end of August.
On August 7, 2020, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft arriving from Dubai overshot the runway at Kozhikode International Airport and broke into pieces, leaving several of 190 people aboard the ill-fated aircraft injured. Immediately after the crash, the government announced that the AAIB, which comes under the civil aviation ministry and has the mandate to investigate serious incidents and accidents involving Indian registered planes, will conduct a formal inquiry into the mishap.
Days later on August 13, the AAIB announced the setting up of a five-member team to probe the circumstances that led to the plane crash. In a statement, the bureau said that the investigator-in-charge will complete its inquiry and submit the report within five months from the date of the issue of the order.
A year later, the probe is yet to be completed and the cause of the mishaps remains unknown.
On August 5 this year, the Centre informed Parliament that the AAIB probe is in “progress” and is likely to be completed by the end of the month.
In a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha, minister of state for civil aviation V K Singh said the final compensation offers had been made to all next of kin of the deceased but none of the “next of kin has sent their acceptance as of date”.
According to experts, the findings of any probe report, besides fixing responsibility and accountability, also helps in taking corrective action and measures to prevent similar mishaps in the future.
Mohan Ranganathan, former instructor pilot of Boeing 737 specialising in wet runway operations, said: “The preliminary report of an accident is supposed to be out in two weeks. However, there has been no status on it (Kozhikode crash report). The AAIB was asked to submit the investigation report five months after the crash, failing which a two-month extension was given in January but the report is not out yet.”
Alleging that AAIB has always failed to release probe reports on time, Ranganathan said, “Their reports always conclude by pointing out manual errors.”
Even in the past, investigators have taken years probing aircraft accidents which, at times, are attributed to lack of technology and required expertise.
Citing the example of the Turkish Airlines’ aircraft accident that took place in Mumbai in September 2011, whose report is still awaited, Ranganathan said, “There cannot be any reason to delay a probe report for ten years. The functioning of the AAIB is very poor and needs immediate improvement.”
A Turkish flight, TK 720, from Istanbul with 97 passengers and crew on board had skidded off the runway at Mumbai airport in September 2011. No one was injured in the incident.
Echoing Ranganathan’s point of view, a veteran pilot on condition of anonymity said the competence of the investigating board should be strengthened with professionals having vast experience and the reports should be time-bound.
“A time-bound investigation in any incident/ accident is required so that when anything has gone wrong, that should be remedied for the future and prevent their recurrence,” he said.
AAIB has a workforce of seven safety personnel and an independent panel of 23 pilots and cockpit crew, 12 engineers, four aviation operation experts, two experts each for aviation psychology and aerodrome and an expert each as in-flight safety personnel and air safety investigator.Asserting that Indian investigators are as competent as their foreign counterparts, the pilot said they need to upgrade their skills through various courses in aircraft probe.
The expert further pointed out: “There should also be no pressure, if you are an independent board. It should be a fair and absolutely honest investigation, Justice delayed is justice denied. If you take so long to come to a conclusion it’s as if there’s no accountability. There should be a timeline. Or you justify why you are late, so that these issues are addressed to the regulatory authority,” the pilot said.
Queries sent to AAIB did not yield a response.