The tragic death of Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat reminded me of my days in the Army and Civil Aviation. When the Tupolev-124 of the Indian Air Force (IAF) with Prime Minister Morarji Desai crashed near Jorhat, Assam on November 4, 1977, all five crew members died. Desai’s crew and an under-trained flight engineer who was not in the cockpit survived. I remember Desai’s words, as quoted by the media, as he emerged from the smoldering rubble: “I survived. My faith in God has strengthened.” I was assigned a small contingent of soldiers from my unit to pay respects to Squadron Leader Matthew Siriac, co-pilot, who was cremated in Trivandrum, where I was posted. As I laid the wreath, I saw Syriac’s wife crying and their daughter playing with another child. I never forgot Desai’s words. I couldn’t stop wondering whether God was with humans Plays cruel game, spares some and kills others.
an unbearable tragedy
I have seen many accidents in both the military and civil aviation sectors, including in my own company. On 3rd March 2002, I got a call which struck me like a thunderbolt. A Deccan Aviation helicopter crashed in a pond in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. Everyone on the board, including Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi, was killed. The investigation report submitted by the Accident Investigation Committee to the Civil Aviation Ministry six months after the accident revealed that the pilot, Captain KV Menon, had flown in thick fog with very low visibility. They decided to make an emergency landing and waited for the fog to clear to resume their flight. But he mistook the 20-acre shallow fish pond as solid ground and landed. He realized his mistake too late – when he suddenly attempted to take-off, the tail rotor hit the water and the helicopter went out of control and crashed. It was an unbearable tragedy. Captain Menon was a skilled pilot, having flown extensively over Jammu and Kashmir at high altitudes, including the forbidden heights of the Siachen Glacier, and in bad weather with terrorists hiding below. It was difficult to die in peacetime with a VIP passenger on a regular flight over the plains.
The ill-fated flight with General Bipin Rawat was similarly flown by pilots of the Indian Air Force who had vast experience in flying over different terrains and in all kinds of conditions. The IAF has ordered a tri-services inquiry headed by Air Marshal into the incident. Nothing can be ruled out until all the evidence is gathered and the technical and forensic investigation is completed. Once the report is ready, it should be given wide publicity so that future accidents can be prevented. Unfortunately, there are already conspiracy theories and fake videos circulating on social media, which do a lot of damage.
Having said that, these accidents are warning tales for pilots, engineers, and ground-handling staff. Most flight related accidents in the world are related to pilot error and faulty maintenance. Such accidents occur due to non-compliance of standard operating procedures and exercise of caution in the air when undertaking flights in bad weather or under pressure.
It is now well known that there was a thick fog on the day of the flight. There are some troubling questions which the investigating team may look into. Why was there no advance pilot helicopter before General Rawat’s flight was cleared? For a VIP of his stature, a helicopter could have been flown in advance and returned to advise the general to cancel the flight if the fog was impenetrable.
handle the pressure
It is not uncommon for VIPs to pressurize pilots to carry them to attend important tasks. Sometimes, crews are under pressure from management organizations, or, in the case of the private sector, commercial pressure to launch flights to please VIPs. And sometimes, the pilots themselves are to blame because they want to live up to their reputation for being courageous.
Since many accidents happen in the mountains, especially during bad weather, it is pertinent to mention that low ground fog and low clouds greatly hinder visibility. And since pilots fly blind and don’t rely on instruments, they tend to stay close to the ground to gain visibility in remote locations. In these cases, spatial disorientation occurs and there is a greater risk of hitting an obstacle during landing and take-off. This could not have happened in General Rawat’s flight, but it is nevertheless emphasized that pilots should not succumb to pressure or be tempted by audacity. If in their opinion, it is unsafe to fly, they should have the courage to cancel the flight. Commands in VIP and Defense and Civilian management must show grace and discretion and not belittle or punish the pilot who says ‘no’. Discretion is the better part of valor.
GR Gopinath is a farmer, soldier and founder of Air Deccan
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