The state-owned aircraft had crashed in Gwalior on May 6, 2021.
Bhopal:
A pilot from Madhya Pradesh, who was dubbed a “Covid warrior” for risking his life during the pandemic, has been handed a bill of Rs 85 crore by the state government for causing damage to a plane last year as it crashed. It was done – landed at Gwalior airport. Captain Majid Akhtar with his co-pilot with the Government of Madhya Pradesh, The suspect was carrying a consignment of samples and medicines of COVID-19 patients During landing, when the plane hit the arrester barrier on the runway, he used to treat infected patients. The pilot has alleged that he was not informed about the obstruction that led to the accident and also sought an inquiry to find out who failed to follow up on the insurance of the airplane if it was allowed to operate. was not insured before giving, as is the norm
The state government, in its chargesheet to the pilot last week, claimed that the state plane costing around Rs 60 crore was reduced to scrap due to the accident. He added another Rs 25 crore as the cost of leasing the planes from other private operators.
Captain Majid Akhtar, in response to the chargesheet accessed by NDTV, has said that the accident was caused by the arrester barrier installed at the Gwalior airport, about which he was not informed by the Air Traffic Controller (ATC). The pilot, who has more than 27 years of flying experience, has also alleged that he was not provided with the contents of the black box which contains all the instructions received from Gwalior ATC.
The state-owned aircraft had crashed in Gwalior on May 6, 2021. The aircraft, a Beech Craft King Air B 250 GT, was carrying 71 boxes of remdesivir from Ahmedabad to Gwalior when it landed on the Gwalior runway after hitting the arrester. Obstacle. Three people, including pilot Majid Akhtar, co-pilot Shiv Jaiswal and Naib Tehsildar Dilip Dwivedi, sustained minor injuries.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s civil aviation regulator, had suspended Mr Akhtar’s flying license for a year. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is also investigating the matter.
The state government is silent on how the aircraft was allowed to fly without following the mandatory insurance protocol. Experts say that if the insurance protocol was followed, the government could have recovered the cost of the aircraft even after reducing the scrap.
The incident resulted in major damage to the cockpit front, propeller blades, propeller hub and wheels of the newly purchased aircraft.
The state government has also held the pilot responsible for failing to keep his license valid after the accident. Mr Akhtar, in response to the allegation, said that many pilots’ licenses have been suspended in the past, which have since been canceled and they should not be held guilty until the DGCA completes its investigation.
The Madhya Pradesh government bought the seven-seater Beechcraft King aircraft in 2019 for over Rs 65 crore.
The officials of the state aviation department were repeatedly contacted for a response through calls and messages, but they did not respond.
,