DGCA grounds pilot for allowing car mechanics to repair chopper
The incident took place on October 12 when the company Varva Aviation's chairman was flying to Pune from Goa.
New Delhi: A pilot of an Agusta 109 chopper belonging to a Mumbai-based aviation firm was grounded for allegedly allowing car mechanics to fix some problem in its engine.
The incident took place on October 12 when the company Varva Aviation's chairman was flying to Pune from Goa and the aircraft engine developed problem, DGCA sources said.
"We have grounded the pilot and are investigating the incident," a source said.
The aircraft VT-VCA was registered with the DGCA in 2012. The pilot cleared transit inspection without reporting any snag, an official said, adding it was informed that the Agusta 109 helicopter carrying the company's chairman to Pune from Goa via Kolhapur was repaired by "car mechanics".
The official also said that although the pilot in its report to the DGCA has not reported any snag, "we suspect that car mechanics were called to repair the helicopter following which the aircraft became airworthy".
As part of the aviation safely norm, only qualified aircraft maintenance engineers are allowed to inspect and repair aircraft or helicopter engines.