Guess what happens to a civil aviation pilot in India who makes an error that endangers passengers and writes off an aircraft?. Photo Credit: Vijainder K ThakurNovember 09, 2009, (Sawf News) - Guess what happens to a civil aviation pilot in India who makes an error that endangers passengers and writes off an aircraft?
Here is a photo of a Kingfisher Airbus 320 parked at the civil aviation apron at Bagdogra Air Force base in West Bengal.
The aircraft hasn't moved from the spot for months and there is an interesting story behind it.
I clicked the photo while returning from my recent visit to Sikkim, using my first generation Pentax DSLR from within another Airbus 320 rolling down the Bagdogra runway close to the take off speed, so admittedly the photo is not very sharp.
Bagdogra Air Force base currently hosts a MiG-21 Bis training squadron, and photography is prohibited within the civil aviation apron so I was unable to get a better photo.
Very soon, a Su-30MKI squadron will be based at the airfield to send a message to the Chinese…but we are digressing.
There is a good reason why the Kingfisher Airbus 320 has remained stranded for so long at the airbase – Its right wing is clipped!
A Kingfisher pilot physically and aerodynamically reshaped the Airbus when he attempted to turn around the aircraft at the end of the runway to line up for take off. The width of the runway is adequate to turn an airbus around put the keen pilot decided to go off the runway, towards concrete shelters called "blast pens," to facilitate his turnabout.
In his attempt to give himself more space, which was not required, he hit the wing off the Airbus on a "blast pen."
Blast pens are used to park fighter jets on operational readiness alert. The positioning of armed and fueled fighters ready to leap off into the sky is referred to as Operational Readiness Platform (ORP). A fighter on ORP duty can take to the skies within a minute in case of an alert, as the pilots are always resting nearby.
The expensive pilot error is happenstance but what followed was near diabolic.
The pilot disappeared following the incident and Kingfisher made no attempts to pursue or report him to DGCA. They simply terminated his services. As the dust settled, the pilot applied for a job with Indigo. Oblivious to his past, which Kingfisher never reported, Indigo promptly hired him. He is now back in the skies earning his Rs 4 lakh per month.
The next time you fly Indigo, it could well be the Bagdogra hero who is flying you!
Many experts in the field, including experienced pilots that I have spoken to, believe civilian aviation in India is a disaster waiting to happen. I have some more tales to tell and will do so as and when I get the time.
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