tribune news agency
Vijay Mohan
Chandigarh, 17th December
The number of accidents involving civilian fixed-wing aircraft has continued to increase over the past few years, prompting a parliamentary committee to ask the Ministry of Civil Aviation to take remedial measures.
“The committee notes with grave concern that fixed-wing aircraft accidents have steadily increased from six in 2018 to seven in 2019 and 2020, and nine in 2021,” said the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture in its Action stated in the report. Questions related to the safety of the civil aviation sector were brought up this week.
In its search for the reasons for the continued increase in the number of accidents and the introduction of remedial measures to stop them, the committee recommends “serious investigation into the root causes of such accidents and the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the investigation report to reduce the number of accidents”.
On the other hand, the Commission observed a decrease in the number of accidents involving helicopters. While there were two such accidents in 2018 and three in 2019, there were no helicopter accidents in 2020 and 2021.
Air service providers are subject to surveillance, regulatory audits and spot checks under the annual surveillance plan, the ministry said. If violations are found during inspections, enforcement action will be taken, including fines.
All accidents and incidents are investigated in accordance with the provisions of the Aircraft (Accident and Incident Investigation) Rules 2017. Safety recommendations based on the investigation report will be followed up and implemented. Following an accident or incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducts regulatory assessments to identify deviations from established procedures and, if required, take preventive measures, including enforcement actions.
The committee also asked the ministry to provide an update on the latest flight recorder laboratory which is being established for joint use by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and DGCA for accurate and faster investigations.
The committee also requested the ministry to provide details of the mechanism proposed by the Inter-Ministerial Safety Caucus to ensure that losses from any type of accident in the transport sector are minimized through timely and efficient coordination among various ministries.
