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.