Over 100 Air India pilots went on medical leave four days after a Boeing 787-Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad, losing thrust mid-air and slamming into a hostel building two km from the airport boundary, killing 274 people, junior Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol said Thursday.
Mr Mohol told Parliament 51 Commanders and 61 Flight Officers put in leave requests on that day, underlining the need to recognise and manage pilots' mental health, particularly after a crash.
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, he said airlines were issued - in February 2023 - notices requiring them to ensure "quick and effective methods to assess mental health" during medical tests.
He said, airlines and airport authorities were also instructed to introduce "standalone and customised training capsules" for flight crew and air traffic controllers to manage potential mental health problems.
And they were also advised to set up peer support groups to "assist and support flight crew / ATCOs (air traffic control officers) in recognising (and) coping with any problem".
DGCA Notices To Air India
Air India, meanwhile, confirmed receipt of four show-cause notices from the Director-General of Civil Aviation Wednesday for breaching safety standards related to managing crew fatigue and training.
The notices follow voluntary disclosures by the airline over the past 12 months and relate to breaches in ensuring rest periods for cabin crew, training norms, and operational procedures.
This afternoon an airline spokesperson said, "We acknowledge receipt of these notices... related to certain voluntary disclosures made over the last one year. We will respond to the said notices..."
Air India remains committed to the safety of our crew and passengers, the spokesperson said.
The domestic carrier has now received 13 notices in the past six months for multiple safety violations and incidents, such as Tuesday's fire to the auxiliary power unit of an Airbus A321 that flew from Hong Kong to Delhi. The fire broke out after the plane landed. It was contained and there were no injuries.
READ | AI Hong Kong-Delhi Flight Catches Fire After Landing, Passengers Safe
Twenty-four hours prior there two other incidents - a Kochi-Mumbai flight veered off the runaway and suffered damage to an engine cover, and a Delhi-Kolkata flight aborted take-off at the last minute.
READ | AI Pilots Cancel Take-Off, Hit Brakes When Plane Was At 155 Km/Hr
An identical incident was reported this morning; a Delhi-Mumbai Air India Express plane cancelled take-off after an issue with screens displaying the aircraft's speed.
Air India been battling turbulence since the Dreamliner crashed 32 seconds after take-off.
A preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau highlighted movement of the fuel supply switches from the 'RUN' to the 'CUTOFF' positions, which would have shut down the engines.
NDTV Decodes | Engines Shut, Fuel Cut Off - Inside Doomed Air India Flight
The switches - designed to not move from accidental contact - were, however, found to have moved within a second of each other, leading to media reports a pilot toggled them deliberately.
The final report - which should explain exactly what happened - is pending.
READ | New Air India Crash Details As US Media Accesses Pilots' Last Words
The media speculation about the switches, and a fragment of the last conversation between the pilots - Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and Flight Officer Clive Kunder - in which one asks the other if they switched the fuel supply off (and the other says 'no'), has been called out by the AAIB and government.
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The aviation investigator slammed the reports as "unverified" and "irresponsible".
The reportage - led by American publication the Wall Street Journal - was also called out by the United States' National Transportation Safety Board, which is helping the AAIB in this matter.
In the aftermath of the initial report, domestic airlines operating Boeing jets were told to conduct checks on the fuel supply switches. Air India later said it had finished the checks and found "no issues".
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