DGCA suspends flying license of two pilots for unsafe landing at Mangaluru International Airport
Mangaluru: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended flying license of a Pilot-In-Command of a SpiceJet flight and his first officer for 4.5 months for jeopardizing the safety of the aircraft and passengers when they landed their aircraft at the hilltop runway of Mangaluru International Airport on October 31, 2019.
The SpiceJet flight Beoing 737 landed at Mangaluru Airport on October 31 from Dubai and made an unstabilised landing at the runaway after which the runway edge lights were found damaged.
The DGCA probed the landing and issued show cause notices to the pilot and first officer seeking their explanation for the unstabilised landing of the flight.
A top DGCA official added that the replies to the show cause notices was not satisfactory and the investigation also revealed that the aircraft touched the down left of the centerline and further deviated to the left jeopardizing the safety of the aircraft and passengers onboard.
"Our investigation has revealed that the aircraft touched down left of the centerline and deviated further to the left. The delayed corrective input by the crew led to damage of three runway edge lights."
"Reply to the show cause notice (to the pilots) was not satisfactory on following grounds: Delayed corrective input by the crew after touchdown led the aircraft deviating further left and jeopardizing the safety of the aircraft and the passengers. DGCA has suspended the license held by the PIC and first officer for 4.5 months (135 days) from the date of incident," the official added.
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Gehlot changes profile pic to 'Save Aravalli', asks Centre to reconsider definition
Jaipur (PTI): Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday urged the Centre to reconsider its definition of the Aravallis, warning that any damage to the mountain range posed a serious threat to the ecological future of north India.
Gehlot, a former Rajasthan chief minister, changed his social media profile picture in support of the nationwide 'SaveAravalli' campaign amid growing debate over mining and environmental safeguards in the Aravalli Range.
It was his symbolic protest against the new interpretation under which hills lower than 100 metres are no longer being recognised as part of the Aravalli system, he said.
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"The Aravalli cannot be judged by tape measures or height alone. It must be assessed by its ecological importance," Gehlot said, adding that the revised definition raised "a big question" over the future of north India.
Appealing to the Centre and the Supreme Court, Gehlot said the issue must be reconsidered in the interest of future generations and environmental security. He also urged citizens to participate in the campaign by changing their display pictures online to draw attention to the issue.
He said the Aravalli range functioned as a natural green wall against the expansion of the Thar desert and extreme heatwaves, protecting Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Opening up smaller hills and so-called gap areas for mining would allow desertification to advance rapidly, he warned.
Gehlot also flagged concerns over air pollution, saying the hills and forests of the Aravallis acted as the "lungs" of the National Capital Region by checking dust storms and absorbing pollutants.
"When pollution levels are so alarming even with the Aravalli standing, one can imagine how disastrous the situation will be without it," he said.
Highlighting the water crisis, the former chief minister said the rocky terrain of the Aravallis played a crucial role in groundwater recharge by channelising rainwater underground.
"If the hills are destroyed, drinking water shortages will intensify, wildlife will disappear and the entire ecology will be pushed into danger," he said.
Gehlot argued that, from a scientific perspective, the Aravallis was a continuous chain and that even smaller hillocks were as vital as higher peaks.
