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New Delhi: Two Air India pilots were recently suspended for allowing a friend into the cockpit, probably making it the first instance for such a violation. However, this is not the first time that pilots have disobeyed the rules.
On June 22, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended the licence of an Air India pilot for a year, after he allowed a friend inside the cockpit of a Chandigarh-Leh flight, in violation of safety norms, earlier this month. The civil aviation regulator also suspended the licence of the co-pilot, for a month, for not raising any concerns and reporting the violation.
The airline had earlier suspended the pilot, Captain Rahul Singh, and co-pilot for six months and one month, respectively.
“Aircraft operate in autopilot mode and require skills for take-offs and landings. Pilots are in charge of the flight and safety is their priority, though allowing anyone into the cockpit apart from the operating crew is not permitted, there are times when pilots knowing that their batchmates or seniors are travelling as passengers, call them in to greet them,” a former Jet Airways pilot who did not wish to be named, said.
Captain Harsh Suri, another Air India pilot, lost his licence for three months on May 12, for allowing a similar unauthorised entry into the cockpit while operating a Delhi-Dubai flight on February 27. The airline was fined ₹30 lakh for not taking action against the pilot at the time of the incident, and for also failing to report the matter to the regulator. An HT report alerted the DGCA, which then issued a show cause to the airline’s CEO Campbell Wilson and its chief of air safety. A few pilots of the airline claimed that Suri had called in a colleague who was also a cabin crew member (who was off duty) to discuss an official assignment.
A former pilot with Air India told HT that ultra-long-haul flights usually see such instances because of the long duration of the flight.
“In both cases, the friends were part of the fraternity and so the pilots might have not taken it to be violating norms. In the first instance, the friend was actually a colleague who was flying as staff on duty (SOD) and so he might not have taken it to be a violation,” a former Air India pilot told HT. “Long haul and ultra long-haul flights may see more of such cases, because of long flying time (more than five hours),” he added.
So what are the rules that govern entry into the cockpit?
As per a DGCA circular dated September 3, 2019, no person can enter the cockpit unless they are a crew member, an officer of the civil aviation department or India Meteorological Department authorised by DGCA, an officer in the civil aviation ministry of the rank of joint secretary and above, an employee of the aircraft operator with permission of the pilot-in-command (PIC), officials of the airline or any crew member of the aircraft operator with PIC’s permission, a duly authorised representative of the manufacturer of the airport with prior permission of PIC, or any person authorised by DGCA. Any of the above persons authorised to enter the cockpit can only do so after a preflight and post-flight breathalyser test.
“An employee of the aircraft operator, who has the permission of the pilot-in-command (PIC) and whose duties are such that his/ her entry into the cockpit is necessary for safe operation of the aircraft can only be allowed in the cockpit provided they have done the mandatory breath analyser (BA) tests,” a former DGCA official reiterated.
“When the rule is clear that no pilot, except the ones who have undergone the mandatory BA tests, are allowed inside the cockpit, then it should be strictly followed. A repetition of the same violation is proof that the airline management has not been successful in implementing the mandatory safety requirements and the pilots, too, have not been serious about the repercussions of such an offence,” aviation safety expert Mohan Ranganathan said.
The DGCA rule applies to all Indian airlines/ operators. It does not apply to foreign carriers overflying Indian airspace. The rules have been in place since the DGCA was formed in 1978 and the rule of not entering into the cockpit without a BA test has been there since.
Ranganathan said DGCA should work on introducing stricter rules for such offenders. “DGCA learnt about the February incident through media reports. It then investigated the matter and ordered that the pilot-in-command be suspended for three months. In the second instance, the airline took action DGCA should direct the airlines to increase the punishment for every repetition of such an offence. The airlines should ensure that the punishment is such that the pilots do not even think of repeating such an offence,” he said.
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