Fresh norms for safe landing

The DGCA on Tuesday, in its new directives on Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), asked all scheduled, non-scheduled and general aviation operators to go for ‘correct landing’ rather than aim at ‘soft landing’ and take a ‘go-around’ for safe landing if the situation during landing so called for. The regulator has also given detailed guidelines on how the cockpit should be manned in case one of the pilots goes out of the cockpit when the aircraft is in flight.

The instructions come in the backdrop of reports that the Mangalore crash happened because the Commander of the AIE IX-812, Zlatko Glusica, while attempting soft landing, lost crucial runway length and could not gain height when he wanted to take-off.

In its new directive on ‘correct’ landings, the DGCA has said landings should be judged not by how soft the landing is, but if it has been made at the correct speed and touchdown zone on the runway.  “In case of an ‘unstabilised approach’, if not correctly timed, a ‘go-around’ is recommended,” it said.

The directions on manning the cockpit comes following the escape that AIE-212 had while cruising over Muscat skies during its Dubai-Pune flight.

The plane had suddenly lost height up to 6000 ft and nearly hit another aircraft when the commander had gone out of the cockpit to the toilet. As the flight dropped height, he rushed back, but found the cockpit locked.

By the time he got in punching the door code, the plane had stabilised. Now, as per the new guidelines, when one of the pilots goes out of the cockpit, a cabin crew should get in and occupy the observer seat. “In no case the cabin crew will occupy the seats meant for cockpit crew,” it said.

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