(a) whether the Government are aware that a number of major and minor accidents of Indian Airlines and its alliance services had taken place in the past few years due to careless handling and maintenance of aircrafts;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Indian Airlines and Air India propose to modernise its maintenance wing to avoid any mishap; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (SHRI SHARAD YADAV)
(a), (b), (c), & (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the
House.
Statement refered to in reply to parts (a), (b), (c) and (d) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 209 for 12.3.2001 regarding `Air Accidents`
(a) & (b) : There have been two accidents involving Indian Airlines/Alliance Air aircraft during the last five years. The position in regard to the Inquires into these accidents is briefly as follows:-
(i) A Dornier 228 aircraft of Indian Airlines crashed immediately after take off from Cochin airport on 30.7.1998 resulting in nine casualities and destruction of the aircraft. The Committee of Inquiry constituted to investigate attributed the accident to partial detachment of the aircraft`s actuator forward bearing support fitting due to non-installation of required hi-lok fastener, with the poor aircraft maintenance practices at Short Haul Operation Department of Indian Airlines as a contributory factor.
(ii) A Boeing 737 aircraft of Alliance Air crashed near Patna airport on 17.7.2000 resulting in 60 casualities and destruction of the aircraft. A Court of Inquiry is investigating into this accident and is expected to submit its report by 31st March, 2001.
(c) & (d): As a part of its programme of modernization and improving airworthiness of its aircraft, Indian Airlines is introducing modern practices and processes in its Engineering Deptt., including:-
(i) Computerisation of the key activity of the Quality Control Divisions and Production Related Divisions
(ii) Introduction of the new concept of Central Monitoring Unit.
(iii) Feeding of the aircraft maintenance schedules into the mainframe computer, from where they can be accessed by the engineers working at stations where Indian Airlines aircraft operate.
The facilities of Air India Engineering Department are also being continuously modernized. The aircraft are maintained as per the requirements laid down by the manufacturers and the DGCA.