The recent Air India crash in Ahmedabad, where a Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 people crashed just minutes after takeoff, has created serious concerns about flight safety in India. The tragic Air India crash on 12th June in Ahmedabad taking lives of 241 passengers also brings attention to India’s flight safety laws. The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. Ahmedabad, the main city of India’s Gujarat state, is home to around eight million people and the busy airport is surrounded by densely packed residential areas.
In the past couple of years, there are numerous aircraft accidents which have taken place either due to human error or instrumentation failure. There are some common reasons behind place crashes. At first, emphasis needs to be placed on the pilot error but it is not so. Pilots are invariably blamed for every air mishap that occurs. There are hundreds of reasons for an air accident, especially during critical phases of flight path transition such as between the approach and landing phases. Aviation safety is not just about technology r pilot skill — it’s also about corporate decision-making, oversight and leadership. Many other factors, such as weather phenomena like low level windshear, flight control surface failures and even instrument failures, have to be thoroughly investigated before arriving at any definite conclusion. Here, Captain Sumeet, who had 8,200 hours of flying experience, and the co-pilot, who had 1,100 hours, communicated the emergency, but soon after the Mayday, all communication from the aircraft stopped. When a pilot says “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,” it means the aircraft is facing a life-threatening emergency. All other radio conversations must stop, and air traffic controllers must focus only on helping the flight.It is evident that where there is a critical system failure, the pilots are unable to maintain safety conditions. Pilots are usually exposed to three types of risk: weather, aircraft suitability, and pilot capability. It is common that pilots fly multiple flights during the same day, yet it can be tiresome.
On an average, 70 –80% are human error. Though there are many other factors, such as design factors, management, and weather factors, human error is the largest.
According to India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, “India’s domestic air passenger traffic reached a milestone last year by “surpassing 500,000 passengers in a single day”. India has suffered a series of fatal air crashes, including a 1996 disaster when two jets collided mid-air over New Delhi, killing nearly 350 people. Based on air accidents, death risk per boarding for worldwide air travellers was 1 in 13.7 million over 2018-22. Death risk per boarding fell at about the same sharp rate over 2018-22 as in the previous half century, namely , 50% per decade. Flight has grown into an absolute essential for mobile, modern man. Air travel is statistically one of the safest modes of transporation. But a series of recent airline accidents has rattled the industry and the public. Statistically, riding a bicycle or getting struck by lightning is more likely to result in death than aviation accidents.
The series of incidents which led to the disaster highlight that there was human error combined with technical faults. It can be revealed that faulty navigation equipment and certain amount of pilot error may probably be the key reasons behind this crash.
Safety improvements shouldn’t have to come about only as a result of tragedy. Time has now come for the industry to start taking proactive changes to improve aviation safety and prevent tragedies in the future. Air travel is generally considered one of the safest forms of transportation, but it’s always a good idea to be aware of safety protocols and procedures. There are many tasks to complete to ensure aircraft safety. It is the responsibility of both the pilot and airline company to adhere to protocols and laws that provide a safe flight to passengers. Although airline safety has actually improved over the past few decades, these recent events are a stark reminder that constant vigilance is key.
The writer is a Free-Lance Journalist, Writer & Cartoonist Limca Book of Record Holder
(7 Times)
