A high-level multi-divisional committee headed by the Union Home Secretary will investigate the cause of the crash of Air India in Ahmedabad and will also suggest extensive guidelines to prevent such incidents in future.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that this committee would not be an alternative to other agencies investigating the incident.
The ministry said, “To prevent such incidents in future, the committee will focus on preparing the SOP (standard operating process) and will submit its report in three months.”
The ‘Boeing 787-8’ aircraft going from Ahmedabad to London crashed and fell into a medical college campus soon after flying on June 12, killing 241 people in the aircraft, medical college students and many others on the ground. The aircraft accident investigation Bureau of Investigation (AAIB) is already investigating the accident.
According to the ministry’s order of June 13, the committee headed by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan includes the Civil Aviation Secretary and Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Gujarat Home Department, Gujarat Disaster Response Authority, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner, Director General of Air Force, Director General of Civil Aviation Safety (BCAS) and representatives of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are also part of the committee.
Other members include Special Director of Intelligence Bureau and Director of the Director of Forensic Sciences Services.
According to the order, any other member including aviation experts, accident investigators and legal advisors can be included in the committee.
The committee will detect the root cause of the accident and assess the factors of the accident, including mechanical failure, human mistakes, weather conditions, regulatory compliance and other reasons.
The order said, “It will recommend necessary reforms and will prepare suitable SOPs to prevent such incidents in future. The SOP will also include the superior international methods of preventing and dealing with such incidents.
The committee will assess the emergency response of various stakeholders including rescue operations and coordination.
The Ministry of Aviation said, “The committee will review the existing guidelines regarding dealing with such incidents and will investigate the records of such aircraft accidents in the country.”
Among other tasks, the committee will prepare a comprehensive SOP and will suggest the role of all agencies and organizations of the Central and State Governments to deal with and management after the accident.
The ministry said that the committee will suggest policy changes, operational reforms and training to prevent such incidents and deal with the incidents after the accident.
According to the order, the committee can achieve all records including flight data, cockpit voice recorder, aircraft maintenance records, ATC (air traffic control) log and testimony of eyewitnesses. The committee will also cooperate with international agencies in the matter related to foreign nationals or aircraft manufacturers.
