JOIN USThe Court of Inquiry is likely to be headed by a serving or a former high court judge and will comprise two assessors with aviation background. The assessors will be experts in engineering and operations and will help the Court look at the crash from various angles. It would be handed over all the material evidences collected from the crash site by the Inspector of Accidents, appointed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
28 members
The Civil Aviation Ministry said on Friday that CASAC would be headed by the Director General of Civil Aviation and will comprise 28 members drawn from aviation sub-sectors such as airlines (both public and private), flight operations, airworthiness, operations etc.
Representatives of ICAO (International civil aviation organization), FAA (Federation of Air Safety of the USA), Boeing, Airbus and other organisations will be special invitees. The Council will have a term of one year.
The Council will advise DGCA in areas of operations of aircraft such as commercial and general aviation, aerodromes and heliports, air navigation services, air operator certification, airworthiness of aircraft including maintenance, certification of aeronautical products, and human performance and training. It would also review the existing regulatory framework and provide recommendations for strengthening aviation safety.
Bodies handed over
Air India said that of the 158 people who were killed in the accident, the bodies of 145 have been handed over to relatives. Nine of the 22 bodies, whose DNA samples were sent to Hyderabad, were identified and handed over to relatives.
AI is also in constant touch with the laboratory in Hyderabad to get the identification results of the rest of the bodies, including that of cabin crew Sujata Siddharth Survase, a press release from AI said.
The body of Capt Zlatko Glusica, a Serbian national who commanded the ill-fated flight, was flown to Belgrade. Two Serbian commanders, who are also flying with Air India Express, accompanied the body from Mangalore to Belgrade.
The press release said: “Air India has arranged Art of Living counselling and healing sessions for the traumatized cabin crew, family members of the deceased, staff and the villagers who assisted in the rescue and recovery operations.”