The mishap at Dabolim airport in which a Jet Airways
Boeing 737 veered off the runway at 5 am was a frightening
experience for 149 passengers onboard, 15 of
whom were injured when they took pro-active action
and jumped off the plane sans safety gear. The accident,
whether caused by machine failure or pilot fatigue, has
raised questions about safety standards in the airline industry.
It might be recalled that a few days earlier two jets, one belonging
to Spicejet and the other to Indigo came face-to-face
on a runway at the Delhi airport. An inquiry has been instituted
into the Dabolim accident, but one might have to wait years
for the report to surface.
Flight commanders with years of experience have not
ruled out human error. The flight was an early morning one
and scheduled during the ‘window of circadian low’, a period
when the human body clock has the propensity to induce
sleep. The Mangalore air crash occurred during this period.
According to one theory, one of the
two engines might have revved up
at a lower rate which could have
resulted in uneven thrusts. Or one
engine could have shifted to reverse
thrust. In both cases the plane
would be thrown into a spin.
Enquiries into airline accidents
are mandatory because the findings help the Directorate General
of Civil Aviation and the International Civil Aviation Organisation
take remedial measures and upgrade safety standards.
That is why it is important for investigators to pinpoint
the cause of the mishap with precision and as quickly as possible.
Another issue that is a cause for alarm is passengers jumping
off the plane. It is quite clear that in a real-life situation the
cabin crew was unable to get to the exits before passengers to
prevent them from jumping off the plane. It is obvious that the
cabin crew was either short of experience or had not been sufficiently
trained in safety measures.
Another issue that needs to be probed is pilot fatigue. Is it
possible that the pilot had not been sufficiently rested? The
Mangalore air disaster which claimed the lives of 158 passengers
and crew was blamed on a napping pilot. Sound of the
pilot snoring during the flight was caught on the cockpit voice
recorder which raised questions of human fatigue. Soon after
the disaster rest periods were revised, but pilots and the Directorate
General of Civil Aviation have been at logger heads over
standards.
The only silver lining on the dark cloud that hovered over Dabolim
on Tuesday morning was that no lives were lost, thanks
to quick intervention by naval personnel. Nonetheless, there
are lessons to be learnt and no stone must be left unturned in
the race to make air transport safer.
