KOZIKODE AIR CRASH SHOULD BE A GREAT LESSON TO THE AVIATION SECTOR
KOZIKODE AIR CRASH SHOULD BE A GREAT LESSON TO THE AVIATION SECTOR
Kozikode ( Kerala, India ) air crash should be a great lesson for the aviation sector. Of course
as normally done there will be an Enquiry by the aviation experts and
authorities and a report will be made and again back to square one. A
similar air crash had happened in Mangalore ( Karnataka, India ) in 2010. Most of the times
there will be many reasons found and also one of the prime reasons would
be said to be pilot error. Though I am not an aviation expert, but by
common sense and by my first hand experience, I would say the ground
control co-ordination with air operations are very important. Once in
1999, while I was traveling along with a colleague to Barcelona in
Spain, from Frankfurt in Germany we boarded an Iberia ( National Airline
of Spain ) plane, a large format Airbus A-320. The plane was full. It
was ester time, the passengers were mostly returnees from ester holidays
hence in quite excited and joyful mood. After about one hour flying,
suddenly the oxygen masks fell before our faces and were asked to fix it
on our faces. There was a fall in cabin pressure, availability of
oxygen inside the plane would be much less or nil. But suddenly there
was a grim situation inside the plane as it was found that very little
oxygen was also available in the cylinders connected to the oxygen
masks. Imagine the risk, even we thought for us, the world would have
ended that day. May be I would not have been living to write this note
today. What was observed that the oxygen cylinders were not checked at
the ground if they have the required quantity of oxygen, may be for a
longer time while the plane had been flying in routine. God forbid the
pilot announced that under this situation he had no choice but to take
the plane to much down level to ensure oxygen availability inside the
plane and he did that also. In Europe it is multi corridor flying (
planes would be flying one above other at height intervals ) and if one
lowers height of flying, the risk of air collision with another plane
would exist. Then the pilot announced that he would go back to
Frankfurt, he also did that. That plane landed safely at Frankfurt
airport. We were made to wait for 5-6 hours, another Iberia plane came
from Spain and it took us from Frankfurt to Barcelona. In that case who
was responsible for ensuring that the plane has required oxygen in its
cylinders ? It was ground control. Possibly that day all the passengers
and crew including me and my colleague would have met their end for
these empty oxygen cylinders of the Iberia plane. In Kozikode, it was
raining heavily for days together, the weather condition was very bad
and known, the run way has critical risk factors and a table top runway,
all that factors being said and broadcasted through media were known.
Still the flight was allowed to take off from Dubai with only 4-hours
flying time and allowed to be landed at Kozikode even without diverting
to another safer airport is something difficult to be digested by any
common sense leaving aside the aviation experts. Everything was left to
the Pilot to handle and he did his best under the circumstances and
limitations at his side. Always the ground control or Air Traffic
Control can not get away leaving every issue in the hands of the pilot
of the plane who would have no control over the ground situation and
weather condition excepting the plane which is just a machine with its
own limitations.
About the Author : Dr. Nimain Charan Biswal is a B.Sc.( Agri. Science and Technology ). M.B.A. and Ph.D. ( Management Area ) by qualifications and he has 34+years of work experience in both industrial and development sectors in diversified fields of social importance. Dr.Biswal is further educated at IIM-Calcutta, XLRI-Jamshedpur, Apple Computer Industries and Spar Inc., USA. He has worked for reputed National and International Organisations in Senior/Top Management Capacities. He is a management expert, a prominent professional of India and known Internationally as well. He lives at Mumbai in India.
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