ID :
78160
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:35
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/78160
The shortlink copeid
Airworthiness of missing Bell 430 helicopter raises questions
Hyderabad/New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) The airworthiness of
the missing Bell 430 helicopter in which Chief Minister of
India's southern state Andhra Pradesh, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy
was on board has raised questions amid reports it had a
troubled past but the DGCA said there was nothing to suggest
it was unfit for flying.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the
civil aviation regulator which also provides licenses to
aircraft and their operators, said the required licenses of
the chopper were renewed on a regular basis.
When contacted, officials of the Bell company, who
requested anonymity, also maintained that it was mandatory for
any aircraft to renew its licenses every year on the basis of
compliance of technical grounds. Besides this, flight
engineers have to sign documents on a daily basis after
carrying out required maintenance, they said.
However, this particular aircraft was experiencing
technical trouble on a regular basis and, therefore, was
currently being used to train pilots, sources in the Chief
Minister's Office said in Hyderabad.
A few months ago, the helicopter had suffered a fault
mid-air when it was carrying Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai
Lama from Hyderabad to Gulbarga, they said, but nothing
untoward happened.
The sources said often it was "wrong handling and non-
compliance" of set procedures that led to the problems and
noted that the Bell-430 seven-seater had recently got a
crack on its windshield.
Subsequently, the crack was replaced during the
routine maintenance of the Bell-430, the sources, on
conditions of anonymity, said.
There were a couple of occasions when wrong
coordinates were fed into the helicopter's system because of
which the aircraft, carrying the VIP, had to hover in air in
search of the helipad for making a safe landing, they said.
The Bell-430 is equipped with at least two radio
systems, weather radar and emergency locator transmitter,
among other sophisticated equipment, and is certified for day
and night operations. PTI DBV
the missing Bell 430 helicopter in which Chief Minister of
India's southern state Andhra Pradesh, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy
was on board has raised questions amid reports it had a
troubled past but the DGCA said there was nothing to suggest
it was unfit for flying.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the
civil aviation regulator which also provides licenses to
aircraft and their operators, said the required licenses of
the chopper were renewed on a regular basis.
When contacted, officials of the Bell company, who
requested anonymity, also maintained that it was mandatory for
any aircraft to renew its licenses every year on the basis of
compliance of technical grounds. Besides this, flight
engineers have to sign documents on a daily basis after
carrying out required maintenance, they said.
However, this particular aircraft was experiencing
technical trouble on a regular basis and, therefore, was
currently being used to train pilots, sources in the Chief
Minister's Office said in Hyderabad.
A few months ago, the helicopter had suffered a fault
mid-air when it was carrying Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai
Lama from Hyderabad to Gulbarga, they said, but nothing
untoward happened.
The sources said often it was "wrong handling and non-
compliance" of set procedures that led to the problems and
noted that the Bell-430 seven-seater had recently got a
crack on its windshield.
Subsequently, the crack was replaced during the
routine maintenance of the Bell-430, the sources, on
conditions of anonymity, said.
There were a couple of occasions when wrong
coordinates were fed into the helicopter's system because of
which the aircraft, carrying the VIP, had to hover in air in
search of the helipad for making a safe landing, they said.
The Bell-430 is equipped with at least two radio
systems, weather radar and emergency locator transmitter,
among other sophisticated equipment, and is certified for day
and night operations. PTI DBV
