Flight inspectors for choppers

NEW DELHI: Two days after the Mesco chopper crash that killed 27 people and a year after the demise of the then Lok Sabha Speaker, GM Balayogi, in a similar accident, the civil aviation ministry on Thursday decided to appoint special flight inspectors for helicopters.
A separate cell is also being created under the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) to monitor and formulate norms exclusively for chopper operations in India.
"We had been examining this area since Balayogi’s demise in a chopper crash and have from today appointed a flight inspector for all choppers in the country. The special cell will also monitor the safety standards of all non-scheduled aircraft and chopper operators in the country," civil aviation minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said at a press briefing.
The DGCA and this special wing will conduct the enquiry into Monday’s chopper crash. Though DGCA officials said the operator, Mesco, possessed a valid non-scheduled operator license, the enquiry will ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
The MI-172 chopper owned by Mesco was ferrying 25 ONGC staff members from drilling rig Sagar Kiran, about 35 km from the Mumbai coast, when it crashed. The chopper plunged into the sea less than 500 metres after it had taken off.
"The chopper had taken off from the Juhu helibase for Sagar Kiran and no technical snag was reported. We will try to ascertain the cause of the accident," DGCA officials said.
The chopper, the official said, is about 8 years old and has been undergoing the necessary periodic checks.
"Even the non-scheduled operator license was being renewed every year."
The DGCA had, over two years back, proposed to introduce a legislation banning use of all single-engine helicopters in India, particularly by politicians. The reason: A twin-engine chopper can land safely even if one engine fails.Flight inspectors for choppers
NEW DELHI: Two days after the Mesco chopper crash that killed 27 people and a year after the demise of the then Lok Sabha Speaker, GM Balayogi, in a similar accident, the civil aviation ministry on Thursday decided to appoint special flight inspectors for helicopters.
A separate cell is also being created under the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) to monitor and formulate norms exclusively for chopper operations in India.
"We had been examining this area since Balayogi’s demise in a chopper crash and have from today appointed a flight inspector for all choppers in the country. The special cell will also monitor the safety standards of all non-scheduled aircraft and chopper operators in the country," civil aviation minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy said at a press briefing.
The DGCA and this special wing will conduct the enquiry into Monday’s chopper crash. Though DGCA officials said the operator, Mesco, possessed a valid non-scheduled operator license, the enquiry will ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
The MI-172 chopper owned by Mesco was ferrying 25 ONGC staff members from drilling rig Sagar Kiran, about 35 km from the Mumbai coast, when it crashed. The chopper plunged into the sea less than 500 metres after it had taken off.
"The chopper had taken off from the Juhu helibase for Sagar Kiran and no technical snag was reported. We will try to ascertain the cause of the accident," DGCA officials said.
The chopper, the official said, is about 8 years old and has been undergoing the necessary periodic checks.
"Even the non-scheduled operator license was being renewed every year."
The DGCA had, over two years back, proposed to introduce a legislation banning use of all single-engine helicopters in India, particularly by politicians. The reason: A twin-engine chopper can land safely even if one engine fails.