Saturday, June 02, 2012

Air India pilot’s son expelled for midair stunt

NEW DELHI: An Air India commander's son got his student pilot license (SPL) cancelled by the Rae Bareli-based Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udaan Academy (IGRUA) and will be expelled from the institute for flying his trainer aircraft extremely low to click pictures. 

 The aircraft crashed a few months ago near Rae Bareli. Luckily, the IGRUA student, who was flying solo, survived. But a probe later revealed the indiscipline that made the DGCA take an unprecedented action on Friday. "The student was on an unauthorized flight, flying dangerously low and clicking pictures; a combination of these factors led to the plane getting entangled in high tension wires and crashing. He could have crashed into a building which would have led to a loss of many lives. His SPL is being cancelled and IGRUA will be asked to expel him. Discipline in pilots has to start at a very early stage," DGCA chief Bharat Bhushan said.

"Such instances of indiscipline happen once every three to four years and unless the strictest action is not taken, they won't stop," said IGRUA director VK Verma.

A few years back, a student pilot had flown his trainer aircraft very low over a lake in Gondia to get the 'thrill' of making a splash over the water body. While doing this stunt, his aircraft crashed on the embankment of the lake. He was let off after a corrective training and allowed to proceed with the course.

Source:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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