Scare at Mumbai airport: DGCA orders suspension of 10 crew members of Jet Airways
merisarkar news service
New Delhi, August 28, 2010
10 crew of Jet suspended: Nasim Zaidi
Aviation regulator DGCA has suspended 10 crew members including the Pilot in Command of a Chennai-bound Jet Airways flight following serious procedural lapses in emergency and evacuation. According to an official release, the incident which has been treated as a serious one will be investigated by a team comprising Director Air safety Mumbai, Flight Operation Inspector and Cabin Safety In-charge of DGCA.
14 passengers were injured, when the evacuation was carried out following a suspected fire in the aircraft. Later, it was found that there was no fire.
The suspension order was issued after a preliminary probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Following the incident, the DGCA has called for a meeting of the Heads of training of all Airlines to review the training procedures of cabin and flight crews, particularly in emergency and evacuation procedures.
The handling of the situation by the crew was criticised with some of the passengers complaining that they were virtually thrown out of the aircraft. Proper evacuation procedures were not followed and in the sudden surge of passengers, many of them received injuries. 131 passengers, including an infant and ten crew members, on board were deplaned using emergency chutes and services.
The Jet Airways, however, maintained that the evacuation was carried out in the interest of the safety of the guests and the crew.
