10 December,2009 08:16 AM IST | | Surender Sharma
Secured: Rahul Gandhi
As reported by MiD DAY, sources in DGCA say there was ample light at the time of landing of Gandhi's copter; safety panel gives pilots clean chit
It seems Rahul Gandhi had a safe landing.
The air safety panel of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has prime facie concluded that at no point of time during the time of landing of the chopper ferrying Rahul Gandhi in Sitapur on Monday evening, had a conversation between the crew members and passengers ensued. This nulls the charges of forced landing as leveled by the Uttar Pradesh government, DGCA sources told MiD DAY.
As reported by MiD DAY on Wednesday, the DGCA panel has found there was ample light at the time of landing of the helicopter.
The two pilots of the helicopter, which flew Gandhi to Uttar Pradesh, belonged to Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited.
The pilots appeared before the DGCA's Air Safety Wing on Wednesday. "They have been cleared after the probe panel found the helicopter had landed at 5.25 pm. The helicopter had landed when visibility was two kilometres and light conditions satisfactory," officials in the DGCA air safety panel said, wishing anonymity.
The DGCA official clarified the pilots were not de-rostered and reports in that regard were false. "The final verdict on the matter will come only after the conclusion of the enquiry," the official said.
| The controversy |
| The district magistrate of Sitapur had reported to the UP government that Gandhi's helicopter had landed after sunset at 5.30 pm when the visibility was poor. The controversy started when on Monday evening when Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief, Rita Bahuguna Joshi told reporters that due to his commitment to the people of UP Gandhi had forced the pilot to land in zero visibility. The DGCA had ordered a probe into the incident and asked the pilots to join the investigation. |
