In follow-up to our story yesterday about the “serious incident” [read crash] of the Kingfisher Airlines ATR-72-500 VT-KAC at Mumbai on November 10, 2009, and thanks to well wishers, Bangalore Aviation has obtained a copy of the final investigation report by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. It can be read here.
The synopsis in the front of the report, and the findings on the last two pages of the report give a quick overview. Simon Hradecky of The Aviation Herald has done an excellent analysis of the report and we strongly recommend reading it.
The Mint newspaper continues with the feeling in Indian aviation circles that rules were circumvented to classify this accident as a “serious incident” to keep an accident free record in 2009 for Indian civil aviation. In its report, the paper claims
This finding is a deviation from DGCA rules, according to an official of the regulator and Mohan Ranganathan, a Chennai-based safety expert and member of the government-established Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council.
The assessment will keep 2009 as an accident-free year for India’s civil aviation sector, said a DGCA official, requesting anonymity.