New Delhi:
Helicopter pilots will not be prosecuted now on if they refuse to fly or undertake unscheduled landings in case of bad weather or an emergency, with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issuing instructions to this effect.
The DGCA has instructed that "no punitive action would be taken" if there was an unscheduled landing in case of an emergency, like bad weather, is faced by the pilot, official sources said.
In such a situation, the pilot should immediately land the chopper at a "suitable place", they said quoting the instructions.
The DGCA move followed a recommendation by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture that said pilots should be provided "adequate legal protection to decline to fly in absence of mandatory technical or weather clearances."
In its recent report, the committee headed by CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury also suggested that "some kind of penal provision may be considered against those putting such pressure on them without clearances."
"Pilots are put under pressure not to oppose these deficiencies due to commercial or other reasons. It happens mainly in case of chartered helicopters and those flying VIPs. Such violation of rules have led to fatal accidents and loss of several precious lives," the panel said.
It also expressed concern over several instances of forceful chopper landings and take-offs in low visibility, bad weather and even during nights.
Several lives have been lost, including those of two chief ministers, in the past two years in over half-a-dozen major chopper crashes.
DGCA chief E K Bharat Bhushan, at a meeting last Friday, asked all helicopter operators to strictly adhere to safety parameters and follow the laid-down procedures while flying during elections and in hilly areas.
Stressing that safety was a shared responsibility of the operators and the regulator, the DGCA chief warned the operators of strict action in case of violation of these procedures.
Besides these procedures, the government has decided to implement a series of measures to make helicopter operations safer, including training chopper pilots in handling various kinds of emergency situations with the use of simulators.
It would also introduce a safety management system in line with those in place in many countries. The deteriorating conditions of a large number of helipads situated across the country, mostly under the control of state governments, would also be addressed separately, the sources said.
As part of this action plan, stress would be laid on analysis of data relating to accidents (fatal) and incidents (non-fatal) and implementation of recommendations of inquiries into them.
This was essential as the recent accidents have been caused by factors like loss of control of the pilot over the helicopter, 'collision with terrain', bad weather, pilot error and maintenance, they said.
Of the 271 helicopters in the country, 209 were engaged in commercial non-scheduled operations.