Abhijit Bhattacharyya | Amid IAF tragedy, a look back at air safety failures

The year 2021 has been “annus horribilis” (Latin for “a horrible year”). With the death of India’s senior-most serving general in the December 8 helicopter crash, the mandatory court of inquiry has begun its job. So, without passing comment or being judgmental, let’s examine some cases of flight safety failures around the world and in India. What it takes to be a professional flier and what catastrophic end a pilot in command of an aircraft/rotorcraft could get into.

The fundamental rules of flying are, however, universal. The operating captain is the indisputable boss of his or her craft, from take-off (door close) to touchdown (door open). No passenger, no matter how highly placed, can or should dictate or give instructions to the captain on any matter pertaining to a flight, military or civil. The Aircraft Act of all nations, including India’s, recognises this in no uncertain terms.

From India’s early years comes to mind the real story of junior Flt. Lt. S.K. Majumdar (later Air Commodore), the pioneer, legend and doyen of the Indian Air Force helicopter wing (which started with the US-origin Sikorsky-55). Flt. Lt. Majumdar was “captain” of a VVIP helicopter flight who had the “audacity” to “disobey” his top boss, then defence minister V.K. Krishna Menon, for the sake of flight safety, to set a high standard of professionalism in the nascent IAF helicopter wing.

Menon, who was Jawaharlal Nehru’s blue-eyed boy, was not used to “no” for an answer from anyone, let alone a junior pilot who turned down his request to give a lift to two of his friends. Majumdar politely refused to violate the “maximum take-off weight” of the helicopter, that was already full, as it would have been a serious flight safety issue. Majumdar told the minister that as the pilot-in-command he couldn’t endanger the life of his superior and his entourage. A furious Menon shouted at “captain” Majumdar: “Is it okay if I fill my pen with ink”, thereby questioning why the “small additional load” mattered. Majumdar coolly replied: “Only if it’s half-full, Sir”. Menon huffed, but backed own. The VIP flight took off and touched down safely. The IAF helicopter unit’s professionalism was laid down by its first chief instructor and commanding officer in 1954. Majumdar ended with over 4,400 accident-free flying hours on 24 types of fighters, transports, trainers and helicopters.

Let’s examine some global civil aviation flight safety failures, where the parameters of flying are common. Air accidents are categorised under two heads: avoidable, implying “not inevitable” or “preventable”; and unavoidable, due to an irresistible physical cause that cannot be prevented by human skill or reasonable foresight. Examples include accidents resulting from lightning or storms, perils of the sea, severe air turbulence, earthquake and inundations. To appreciate the gravity, a few inquiry reports on mishaps will suffice.

When Indian Airlines IC-605 Bombay-Bangalore Airbus-320 crashed on February 14, 1990, short of its runway, killing 92 of 130 on board, it was an avoidable accident due to human error. The captain was earlier advised to be “positively monitored” in “flight management and guidance system” (FMGS) and mishandling of aircraft power controls.

Earlier, on October 8, 1989 (IAF Day), there was an avoidable accident. In a solo flying display, a wing commander flying the latest Mirage 2000 fatally crashed on the tarmac of the Palam technical area while doing the “Down Charlie” manoeuvre as he couldn’t retrieve the “out-of-control” fighter which was too near the earth’s gravitational reach to pull out. This writer, who was physically present, helplessly watched the horror, happening only 300 ft from the “box” where top IAF brass were sitting.

In contrast, when Korean Air KL-007 Boeing-747 Anchorage-Seoul flight was shot down by Soviet Sukhoi-15 air-to-air missiles on September 1, 1983, and plunged into the Sea of Japan, killing all 269 on board, it was an avoidable accident as the Soviet military committed an unpardonable crime of downing an unarmed civilian flight.

Again, when the Air India-182 Boeing-747 Montreal-London flight fell from 31,000 ft into the Atlantic Ocean, east of Cork, Ireland, on June 23, 1985, killing all 329, it was an unavoidable accident for the AI captain due to a bomb blast in the fuselage, caused by the gross negligence of the Canadian authorities.

Another classical avoidable accident in India was on August 16, 1991. Indian Airlines IC-257 Calcutta-Imphal-Dimapur Boeing-737 crashed, during descent, into Thangjing Hill, 37 km short of Imphal airfield, killing all 69 on board. Despite fair weather, the crash was due to the captain’s inability to adhere to the ATC’s command and guidance on position, location, height and speed. The captain’s indiscipline and indiscretion led to the fatal result.

How many Indians are aware of a fatal crash-surviving captain being jailed? It happened on July 27, 1989. Flight 803 of a South Korean airliner, a McDonnell Douglas (three-engine) DC-10, crashed and burnt on approach to Tripoli (Libya), killing 74 of 199 people on board. It was heavy fog with “zero” horizontal visibility of 150 ft (50 metre). The inquiry report attributed it to pilot error, who was subsequently convicted of negligence for attempting to land without analysing meteorological inputs/data. The captain got a two-year jail sentence.

At present, there exists a bewildering variety of flight safety failure cases which can be cited like case laws before the higher judiciary. One can only hope, indeed be supremely confident, that the tri-services court of inquiry will show exemplary professionalism, keeping pace with the best traditions set by their brilliant predecessors. All 1.3 billion people of this country will be glued to the future outcome of the findings, comments and recommendations of the tri-service professionals.

It is pertinent here to note some outrageous comments and reactions that have come from the headquarters of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which appears to be deriving sadistic pleasure over the death of India’s highest-ranking military officer. At a time when governments and armed forces around the world, including, significantly, the government and top military officers of Pakistan, have condoled the deaths of Gen. Bipin Rawat, his wife and the others on board the ill-fated IAF helicopter on December 8, and paid heartfelt tribute, all the CPC could say was that the deaths of the Indians were the result of “non-professional” work! One only wonders at the arrogance of ignorance, malice, and meanness. We can be confident, however, the same “non-professional” Indians will soon show the CPC’s wretched commentators the stuff they are made of.