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New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to the Air India cockpit crew for flying long hours despite technical issues. It has asked pilots to respond within 14 days.
As per the notice issued on December 29, the DGCA’s action is related to several flight operations on the Delhi-Tokyo sector. Confirming that a notice was received, an Air India official said that it was the second such communication on this route. NDTV reported
Sharing details, the DGCA further noted that during one of its flights, the crew received several alerts, even as smoke was detected near the aircraft door. In another incident, a flight was diverted to Kolkata due to technical issues with heating and cooling systems.
According to DGCA records, the aircraft had earlier faced similar technical issues on at least five other occasions. This suggested the recurring of mechanical issues instead of just one incident. The regulator pointed out that such sectors have been pointed out in other sectors as well.
Even after these issues, the aircraft was permitted to operate, although some safety equipment did not meet standards that have been prescribed as per the law . The DGCA observed that the pilot accepted the aircraft for flying despite knowing about system failures.
Issuing the notice, the DGCA pointed out that the cockpit crew did not properly assessed safety impact of unserviceable or degraded systems. It noted that pilots posed serious threats to flight safety as they did not fully understand the operational limits and interdependence of these systems. The regulator has asked the pilot on why actions should not be taken against them under the Aircraft Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR).
