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The Rediff Special/ Wg Cdr (retd) R V Parasnis

The DGCA: Investigator, Prosecutor, Jury, Judge and Executioner

Part I: Is airline safety a myth in India?

The machinery to handle aviation safety and accident investigation in India is rather strange. It is handled by the Director General of Civil Aviation. The DGCA is the regulating authority on all matters dealing with aviation in the country. The DGCA is also responsible for granting flying licenses to pilots. It is his department that holds the examination for the pilots to grant PPL, CPL and the ALTP. He controls civil aviation in the country. He has the authority to ground aircraft, airlines, de-license maintenance engineers and so on. It is the single most important aviation post in the country.

In the case of an air crash, it is the DGCA who is the Investigator, Prosecutor, Jury, Judge and the Executioner. Under the circumstances, he is likely to be strongly tempted to protect his own department and the sister department (the Airport Authority, which controls the aerodromes and all the navigational and safety equipment) working in tandem with his and instead, find a scapegoat. He is also in a position to suppress or doctor the evidence to his requirements, if inclined. I am not accusing him of doing all that, but am merely mentioning the possibility.

Isn't this against the principle of natural justice? The very purpose of having the elements and a working system of check and a counter-check over each other's functioning is defeated by such concentration of power in a single individual. And there is a lot required to be concealed. Lack of knowledge, incorrect or faulty rules and regulations, un-serviceability of navigational and safety equipment, errors committed by the staff, high handed actions and so on.

In an airport like Mumbai, the hutment dwellers staying close to the runway are known to put their clothes on the approach lights for drying purposes, thus blocking them out. They steal the top cover of these lights to use as handies, causing lights to shine in the pilots's eyes coming in for landing, momentarily blocking their vision. The Airport Authority is neither prompt in replacing the lost/stolen items nor vigilant to guard the equipment to keep the equipment/lights safe.

The civil aviation authorities even built many ATC buildings including Mumbai, much higher than the International Civil Aviation Organisation's recommendations. Why and how? They alone know. This has been observed by many international bodies and has come under severe criticism by the ICAO as well as the IFALPA (International Federation of Air Line Pilots's Associations). Mumbai and Delhi have also been declared as unsafe airfields on account of the navigational and approach practices followed there. This is not the kind of reputation deserved by a country like India, which has a long record of professionalism in the field of aviation.

The maintenance and security of our aerodromes which includes navigational and safety equipment, leaves a lot to be desired. Above all, the chalta hai attitude and the apathy for human life are our worst drawbacks.

There are innumerable incidents of mismanagement, infructuous delay and injustice by this high office. The victims, mostly, just suffer in silence, for, no one would want to invite the wrath of this powerful office. The victims are generally pilots and the airlines and/or their employees.

Take a recent example. The license of a senior Air-India captain was suspended indefinitely for an air-incident (a minor accident) abroad, without holding an inquiry. The license was finally restored after 18 months when the pilot approached the Mumbai high court for remedy, but the inquiry has not been held to date. They wouldn't even hand over the evidence held by them to Air-India wanting to hold its own inquiry. It is learnt that on the high court's order the DGCA's office is finally handing over the evidence now. Consider the financial loss and mental anguish suffered by the pilot and the effect of the non-availability of a trained pilot on the airline! Consider also the cost of the lawsuit on both the pilot and the government! To what purpose?

My contention is that punishment should follow a proper investigation and apportion of blame. The inquiry/investigation should be prompt and expeditious, lest things like loss of memory, destruction/deterioration (deliberate or otherwise) of evidence and interference by vested interests affect the outcome.

There is a crying need, therefore, to separate the various functions of the DGCA and make them independent. Above all, a totally independent body, not answerable even to the ministry of civil aaviation, must do the air accident investigations. Only then will the truth get a fair chance to come out.

Qualifications of Investigators

Air accident investigation has become a highly specialised subject in the modern age and it will continue to be even more so with the advent in sophistication in every field of aviation every passing day. It is not enough to be a specialist of the required discipline to be on the panel of investigators, one must be specially trained in aviation safety and the advanced techniques of air accident investigation and detection. One must also possess an investigative attitude and an open and fair mind. Only such men should be selected for flying accident investigations.

We, in India, are again found to be wanting in getting our aviation specialists in the various fields, trained in the 'Flying Accidents Investigation Techniques'. Even in the airlines, the director or GM (flight safety) is considered a sidelined post. Everything boils down to the fact that aviation safety is not given the importance it deserves. This trend has got to be changed.

Aviation specialists for aviation jobs

In India if we must suffer the fact that unqualified politicians head the aviation ministry, there is probably no escape from it. The least we can do is to put qualified professional aviators in jobs such as the secretary, civil aviation and allied posts in the ministry, the DGCA and his staff as also the Airports Authority of India. The field of aviation is getting more advanced and specialised by the day. And it calls for a very high degree of professionalism. If we continue to put IAS and other generalist bureaucrats in these posts, we are digging our own grave. That should amply describe the fate in store.

Also, the IAS should not find it very difficult to let go their hold on these posts, as they are not career postings for them. But there are a lot of lollipops to be enjoyed here in terms of free air travel in India and abroad and also some very attractive and expensive gifts. These may not be so easy to give up.

Selection of aircraft, maintenance and transparency

Our political corruption knowing no bounds, it is necessary to make the system to select the appropriate type of aircraft for our specific needs completely transparent to arrest the 'kickback' tendency and to ensure that only the best bid among the most suited is considered.

There is also a need to introduce some check on the standard of aircraft maintenance practices. Practices like giving extension (commonly prevalent in the Indian Air Force) must be restricted to only the first five years. Airlines must be told to give equal importance to the maintenance of the interiors too, lest the vibrations of some panels result in fingers getting pointed at engine vibrations and the maintenance practices of the airline as a whole, as happened recently in the case of the present crash at Patna.

Conclusion

In the field of aviation, India made rapid progress from the early days and soon sat in league with the most advanced nations in the world. It is saddening to think where we had reached and where we are today. Not only are we lagging behind, but we also probably have the worst aviation safety record in the world. With dedication and skill all this can be remedied. We have some of the top professionals in the field and are capable of bouncing right back into lead. Correcting attitudinal deficiencies, bringing about a sense of balance and proportion and determined effort in the right direction by all concerned including the media should see us back at the top.

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