DGCA derosters 12 pilots for 'blind landings' in Goa

MUMBAI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation ( DGCA) on Tuesday ordered four carriers to deroster 12 pilots for operating flights to Goa’s Dabolim airport violating air-safety norms.

On Monday, six flights were operated by these carriers to Dabolim between 3pm and 5.30pm although the airlines and their pilots were aware that a mandatory landing aid was not operational during this time because of repairs on the runway. The director general had also warned airlines against operating flights without the landing aid.

Four pilots of Kingfisher Airlines, four of GoAir and two each of Jet Airways and Jetlite will be derostered for operating from Dabolim without the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) — a visual landing aid which gives guidance on the descent angle to a pilot during approach and landing.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the DGCA norms, jet aircraft like Boeing 737s and A320s should not operate from airports that do not have a functional PAPI. Although PAPI only assists landing aircraft, take-offs are also banned as a flight might need to make an emergency landing immediately after take-off.

‘‘ I’ve told the four airlines to deroster the cockpit crew that operated to Goa without PAPI,’’ said director general Bharat Bhushan.

Although it is the airlines that are primarily responsible for forcing pilots to fly to Goa disregarding DGCA instructions , it’s the pilots who will be the first to bear the brunt of the disciplinary action as, according to the Indian Aircraft Act, the commander or the co-pilot should not exercise the privileges of their licences (the Airline Transport Pilot Licence and Commercial Pilot Licence) in violation of air-safety rules.

Airlines, too, will face the music as they have been asked to explain violation of PAPI mandatory air-safety norm.

Probe now shifts to co-pilots


The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday gave names of three more co-pilots , who allegedly got their commercial pilot licences on the basis of forged marksheets, to the police. ‘‘ We have received three names and are checking whether they are connected to the two syndicates that we have unearthed so far,’’ deputy commissioner of police (crime & railways) Ashok Chand told TOI.

Aviation sources said the heat is going to be on co-pilots from now on as the aviation regulator has completed scanning papers of the 1,704 Indian commanders, save 31, and so far six cases of people graduating from co-pilot to commanders on the basis on fake marksheets have been detected. So, a significant rise in number of fake commanders is unlikely now. DGCA has 6,331 co-pilots registered with it and the papers of 1,000 of them have been checked with seven cases of fake marksheets detected. Also, officials of flying schools arrested for selling flying hours are revealing names of co-pilots who are being pursued by the CBI and the police of various states.