Deshmukh grounded once again

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh thought his flying woes had ended when the state hired a new pilot in April. But the jinx continues, as the latest pilot too has left for a more lucrative assignment abroad.

Captain Naval Shrivastava is the third pilot to leave the State government job in the past one year.

The State government now only has one pilot, Captain Neetu Gupta, and rules say that the aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air 350, has to have two pilots.

This leaves the CM, Deputy CM R R Patil, Governor S M Krishna and Chief Secretary D K Sankaran grounded again. The latter three also use the aircraft on official assignments.

Captain Shrivastava was unavailable for comment, but Deshmukh said he was unaware that his pilots have quit and he would find out why they are leaving.

The CM has to now fall back on planes from corporate houses like Videocon, Tata or Reliance or the state aircraft of J&K government for official trips. “The state has always struggled to get pilots and after they get one, it is difficult to keep them,” said a source.

The reason, sources say, is the stress accompanying the job of flying the state’s top dignitaries. “There are people who are willing to take the stress, provided they are compensated well, but the state pays peanuts compared to airlines and corporates,” the source added.

Captain Shrivastava, a senior commander, has apparently left to join a new flying school in Dubai. Captain Gupta is still with the government, but cannot fly, as there is no commander for the Beechcraft.

MiD DAY had reported on March 17 that Reliance Industries’ Chief Managing Director, Mukesh Ambani, had offered the services of his pilot when the CM needed one. The state used Ambani’s pilot before hiring Captain Shrivastava.

A pilot who was with the state earlier, on condition of anonymity, said, “I left the job because of the money. I also didn’t get leave when I wanted. It was getting too hectic. I would be called on duty anytime and it was affecting my personal life.”

UNLUCKY CM

July 2005: Both the CM’s pilots leave for private operators

November 2005: One of the pilots, Captain Neetu Gupta, returns after she fails Kingfisher Airlines’ tests

January: The government hires a commander, who was a former Tata pilot. He fails to pass the medical test.

First week of March: Mukesh Ambani offers the services of his pilot

March 19: The CM goes to Aurangabad and the aircraft is grounded thereafter for repairs. The chopper is down for maintenance.

April: The state hires Captain Naval Shrivastava.

November: Captain Shrivastava leaves for an assignment abroad.

Jet ground pilot Shweta

Jet Airways pilot Shweta Singh Mahajan will not fly a plane till an investigation on how her aircraft went into landing mode at 20,000 feet is completed.

The airline grounded Rahul Mahajan’s wife after it received instructions to do so from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The violation in question occurred a day after Shweta was assaulted by her husband in a car in Delhi.

Shweta, a commander, was flying flight 9W 825 from New Delhi to Hyderabad on November 16, when she applied the speed brakes mid-way into the flight. A speed brake is a device used for slowing the plane for landing, or for drastic speed changes.

The wing flaps of the plane were also reportedly in landing position. Pilots usually make these adjustments at much lower altitudes as they approach a runway.

“When the aircraft was at 20,000 feet, the pilot suddenly applied the speed brakes and the aircraft lost at least 2,000 feet,” said a DGCA source.

Aircraft incident took place a day after Shweta’s husband Rahul Mahajan beat her up.

“It could have been extremely dangerous with the engine stalling or worse the aircraft crashing,” the source added.

On November 22, Jet Airways gave the DGCA the cockpit recordings of flight 825. The DGCA will shortly call Shweta and her co-pilot to determine exactly what went wrong.

Confirming the DGCA’s action, P Shaw, director of air safety, DGCA, said, “We are investigating the lapse and will call the pilots in question.”

Sources say that simulator recreations of the incident suggest that it falls under the “high” accident risk category. The aircraft, and its 112 passengers, landed safely in Hyderabad.

DGCA sources said the inquiry will also go into whether the lapse was due to Shweta’s physical and mental condition at the time.

“If a pilot has an injury or abrasion, the doctor, during pre-flight medicals, checks if it hampers the mobility of the pilot. If it does not then the pilot is certified and if it is found to hinder mobility, the pilot is asked to rest,” said
Dr D P Shah, a panel doctor with Kingfisher Airlines, Air Sahara and Indigo.

Monitered

Most airlines monitor the personal lives of pilots, since studies have shown personal trauma affects a pilot’s flying capability. “Pilots are advised to inform us of any personal problems,” said an airline source.

“Personal problems affect the flying of a pilot, so if a pilot is under medication, or has problems we trace the history and advice accordingly,” said Dr DP Shah, adding, “Many airlines have started using psycho-metric tests to determine the mental history of the pilot and they are hired only if the tests are clear,” he added.

However, it is impossible to monitor the personal lives of pilots, he said. He also had no idea if airlines did it.

“We cannot do anything if the pilot hides the bruise or wound,” said Dr Shah who has been practicing aviation medicine for 20 years.

In denial?

It is, however, not clear whether Shweta reported her bruises to the doctor before her flight on November 16.

Jet Airways confirmed that Shweta had been “de-rostered” and that she has not flown since November 19, but said this was only a precautionary measure. They added that there was no danger to the equipment or passengers on board flight 825.

The airline also said that there was “no incident”. Which makes it difficult to understand why Shweta was de-rostered.

Shweta denied this, when Mid Day contacted her, “There was no incident and I have flown even after that (November 16). I have received no communication from DGCA or Jet Airways,” she said.

Dead men flying

The spate of airport deaths continues. A 60-year-old American national died after landing at Mumbai airport on Saturday night due to cardiac arrest. This is the fourth incident of a passenger dying either at the Mumbai airport or mid-air coming to the city.

According to airport sources, George Leroy Neumann Jr who was travelling to Mumbai alone on the New York-Mumbai direct flight collapsed near the immigration counter with a bleeding nose and was taken to Holy Spirit Hospital in Andheri.

“He was declared dead before he could be taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital,” said an airport official.

The flight, which normally takes 15 hours, took 16 hours and 15 minutes. “It was hovering around Mumbai airport for one hour because of congestion. Had the flight landed early, we could have probably saved his life,” said the official.

The official also lamented the lack of adequate facilities at the airport, which has earned Mumbai airport infamy leading to four deaths in 20 days.

“We do not have trained paramedics or equipment to handle medical emergencies. Even in George’s case, Delta Airlines had to provide the first aid equipment and oxygen cylinders. We have been raising the issue for the last three years to no avail,” the official said.

The official added, “While we do not have medical evidence to suggest that his life could have been saved had the flight landed an hour earlier, but common sense suggests that we could have had a better chance.”

Earlier, George’s body was taken to the Cooper Hospital for a post-mortem where the cause of his death was said to be cardiac arrest. “The body, currently with the undertaker, will be embalmed and flown to New York on Monday night,” said an official from Sahar police station.

An airport spokesperson said, “The passenger complained of uneasiness on board and a fellow passenger who was doctor was called to help him. Neumann is a frequent flyer with Delta and the airline knew about him.” He added that the airport has all the equipment to handle medical emergencies but a new ambulance for the airport is on its way.

“We are deciding as to what type of ambulance we want and then we shall have one,” he said. He refused comment when asked if the passengers’ life could have been saved had the flight landed an hour earlier.

A death every five days: Is there a curse on Mumbai airport?

1. Qutbuddin Banglawala (68) suffered a heart attack at the Mumbai airport, died on November 1 due to delay in medical attention. He was travelling alone in a Virgin Atlantic flight from London.

2. R Sharma, who boarded an Air-India flight from Durban, was ill and on a stretcher. He suffered a cardiac arrest mid-air on November 3.

3. Panna Marfatia, a diabetic, was on a British Airways flight from London to Mumbai when she suffered a cardiac arrest as well mid-air on November 3.

4. George Leroy Newmann Jr, a 60-year-old American national, died after landing at Mumbai airport on November 18 due to cardiac arrest.

Airport hai ya air force base!

With as many as four terror alerts in the past one week, Mumbai airport appears more like a battlefield than an airport.The high alerts from various intelligence agencies, and the stringent security checks that follow have made life difficult for passengers. A case in example in the Air India flight 310 to Seoul on Sunday, where passengers had already boarded the aircraft.

Tip-off

“We received inputs from South Korean intelligence agencies that there was a security threat to the flight. All passengers and cargo was deplaned and had to go through the security process once more,” said an airport official. Anti-sabotage checks with sniffer dogs and a bomb squad were carried out and passengers’ bags were frisked manually. The flight originally scheduled for 8.25 pm finally took off at 11:30 pm.

Security checks

“The high alerts causes considerable inconvenience to passengers. There are baggage restrictions and the security checks are more stringent. Flights are normally delayed for an hour on an average,” said an airline official. “We cannot take these inputs lightly and have stepped up our security process. It definitely inconveniences passengers, but there is no alternative to security,” said an airport security official.

Warnings

- November 12 - Korean Intelligence warns of security threat at an Air India flight

- November 11 – FBI warns of an Al-Qaeda threat to planes flying to the US

- November 8 - Airports on alert after anonymous email warning of a terror strike received at Trichy airport

- November 6 - A caller warns of a bomb threat on a Jet Airways London flight

Bomb on Jet flight to London

At 3.28 am on November 5, a man called the Jet Airways call centre at Andheri and warned the startled operator that Wednesday’s Mumbai-London flight would be bombed.

The man then said, “Lashkar-e-Taiba” thrice and hung up. The Home Ministry and the Intelligence Bureau have taken the call seriously.

Consequently, starting today, passengers travelling to the UK and the US, will undergo stringent security checks (see box). The checks will peak on Wednesday, but will continue for a few days more.

Said an airport official, “Since the man called from a London number and we cannot trace international numbers, we decided to take the call seriously and put the airport on high alert. The call also coincides with news of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s hanging and so assumes significance.”

The Jet Airways spokesperson in New Delhi, AK Sivanandan confirmed that the airline had received the threat call and said a police complaint had been lodged with the airport police.

Jet Airways operates two flights to London from Mumbai. Flight 9W 120, leaves Mumbai at 2.20 am every day, while 9W 118, which leaves only on Mondays, is a 1.20 pm flight.

Since security will be tightened, delays are expected, but the airline has issued no advisory on reporting earlier than the mandatory three hours.

According to airport sources, while Mumbai airport does not have explosive detectors, Jet Airways employs explosive trace and vapour detectors.

A top Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) official in New Delhi said that the Home Ministry and the Intelligence Bureau have been briefed on the bomb threat.

“We have asked sky marshals to be on board on almost all the flights to the UK and the US. We do not know in the shape or size of the bomb, so we have to be prepared.”

The Central Industrial Security Force responsible for airport security said, “We are on high alert and have briefed all airlines on the security procedures to be followed," said CISF senior Commandant Sanjay Prakash.

Checks and measures

• Access control: Only bonafide passengers allowed inside terminal

• 100 % frisking: Every single passenger travelling to the UK and US will be frisked.

• Every single piece of hand baggage will be opened.

• Ladder point checks (before the passenger actually boards the aircraft) will be in place.

• Sky marshals will be deputed on flights to the UK and US.

• Explosive detectors will be used on check-in baggage