Kolkata: Following the incident relating to the helicopter of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her North Bengal political trip which subsequently led to her injury while deboarding the aircraft, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a probe into the matter.
On June 27 the chopper carrying Banerjee to Bagdogra airport had to make an emergency landing at the Sevoke Road Army Aviation base due to inclement weather.
She was travelling from Kranti Helipad, Jalpaiguri to Bagdogra airport for taking a flight to Kolkata when her chopper is learnt to have been caught in turbulence.
The helicopter that was used to ferry the Chief Minister is learnt to have been hired from a private firm in Mumbai. Sources said that the DGCA will be checking the helicopter’s flight data recorder where certain vital informations are stored relating to the aircraft. It is learnt that the data extracted from this will reveal many vital information which include the take-off time, warnings related to inclement weather caught in its weather radar, and when the helicopter had to change its flight plan in air, among other vital facts.
The DGCA is learnt to have sought details of the helicopter from the company from which it was hired. It is also learnt that the probe agency has inquired into whether the helicopter had weather radar installed and if there was one, then was it functional. Other queries included whether the pilots received a warning of inclement weather before take-off. In case they did receive it then why did they decide to go ahead? Also, information relating to the maintenance of the chopper.
On the day of the incident, it was reported that the helicopter shook violently mid-air while it was travelling over Baikuntha forest in North Bengal amid rain and thunderstorms. It was deduced that the shaking might have been caused by turbulence which often results in such violent shaking when an aircraft encounters cumulonimbus clouds. However, the pilots on that day had to make a quick decision to avert any mishap and decided to make an emergency landing at the nearest landing ground. It is learnt that since no ladder could be rolled out for the occupants to set foot on the landing ground, the Chief Minister sprained her knees and her waist while deboarding.
DGCA sources said that in such cases the pilots are generally grounded for interrogation but the Chief Minister is learnt to have written a letter where she highly praised the judgment and skill of the pilots. Hence, they were not grounded during the investigation. It is learnt that often in cases where a VVIP is travelling, pilots are under pressure to avoid any delays and hence opt for take-off even if there is minimal rough weather.