JOIN USComing down heavily on aviation safety violations, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday grounded a business jet owned by Reliance Industries for carrying expired safety equipment on board, and suspended its pilot for flying without a licence.
The aviation regulator, which carried out surprise inspection at Delhi’s IGI Airport, also searched Jindal Steel and Power Limited’s Global Express BD 700 aircraft and found several major lapses, said official sources.
While action against the Jindal aircraft would be decided on Monday, the Reliance aircraft was grounded immediately, just before it was slated to take off from New Delhi, they said.
The action comes at a time when private planes and helicopters are being heavily used as charters to fly political leaders across the country on poll campaign.
The sources said the 14-seater Falcon 900EX, with call-sign VT-ISH and registered in the name of Reliance Commercial Dealers Limited, was grounded after it was found that most safety equipment on board, including a fire extinguisher and personal breathing equipment, were beyond expiry dates.
The cabin compartment containing escape rope was found jammed, they said. The commander of the aircraft was also not carrying his licence when he was asked to show one, they added. The co-pilot too was not in possession of certain documents which are to be mandatorily carried.
Taking serious note of the violations, DGCA chief Prabhat Kumar directed that the aircraft would remain grounded till deficiencies were removed and all equipment replaced with new ones, said the sources.
Meanwhile, the 13-seater Global Express BD 700 aircraft (VT-JSB), owned by the Jindals carried operations manuals of other aircraft, and not its own. It also did not have the list of safety and emergency equipment on board, said the sources.
Though this aircraft is not certified for Extended Range Twin Operations (ETOPS), the certification was found signed by aircraft maintenance engineers, they said.
Sources said most of the findings were “significant”, and “appropriate action” would be taken after further verification of records on Monday.