Rahul Gandhi's Flight Scare Triggers Questions About Plane, And An Advice

NEW DELHI: The Special Protection Group or SPG responsible for Rahul Gandhi's security has asked the aviation regulator about the checks carried out on his aircraft that suddenly plunged last month, jeopardising the lives of the passengers. In a letter to the regulator that is probing the incident, the special team that guards the Congress president has called for complete details about the incident including its assessment if the snag was technical or otherwise.

The Congress had called for a thorough probe to assess if the faults in the aircraft including failure of the auto-pilot mode could be attributed to sabotage.

Mr Gandhi didn't mention the big scare during his flight to Karnataka's Hubli for days.

The Congress president spoke about the scary experience at a rally in Delhi over the weekend,

"I was on way to Karnataka when my flight dropped nearly 8,000 feet. I thought I was done for," the 48-year-old leader confessed.

A senior government official told NDTV that the SPG had taken the incident very seriously and had sought complete details from aviation regulator DGCA.

Mr Gandhi's security was also reviewed at the Cabinet Secretariat, which oversees the functioning of the SPG that provides security to India's most-protected leaders.

Sources said a point that was made more than once at the meeting was that the Congress also should exercise discretion in selecting the planes that its party president flies. It is a view that could be formally conveyed to the party once SPG gets a complete picture.

The Cabinet Secretariat has also inquired about the basis on which the party selects for the planes to fly Rahul Gandhi.

But much of the SPG's assessment about the incident will have to wait for the aviation regulator's report.

"Since DGCA is inquiring into all technical and manual aspects, we want clear-cut answers on certain issues," a senior official said.

The SPG's questions for the DGCA relate to the last air worthiness certificate issued to the 10-seater Dassault Falcon 2000 business jet and the flying experience of the two pilots who were on the plane.

"We have asked DGCA to also look into the fact that how many hours before the plane got airborne it got technical clearance from DGCA and how is possible that engineers missed did not figure that the auto pilot was not functioning properly," explains a source.

The SPG, which protects the Prime Minister, former PMs and their family, relies on air force planes for the Prime Minister for domestic travel. The PM and his party have to pay for the flight if the tour is not official. In case of former PMs and their family, the individual concerned has to make the travel arrangements.