Tag: airlines

When it isn’t the Safest form of Travel….

Anil Goyal

On 7 August 2020, Air India Express Flight 1344, a COVID-19repatriation flight, part of the Vande Bharat Mission from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Kozhikode, India, overshot the runway during landing run at Calicut International Airport. The aircraft fell into a gorge killing 16 passengers, and both pilots. The remaining four cabin crew and 168 passengers survived, of whom over 100 were injured. A very tragic accident. The accident has rattled the nation, the aviation community, and especially all the pilots in particular. Flying is not inherently dangerous but it is terribly unforgiving. The aviation industry which was fraught with adversity and at times…

Every Job is a Self-Portrait

Anil Goyal

Safety in military/commercial aviation continues to depend on good crew performance. Good crew performance, in turn, is founded on standard operating procedures that are clear, comprehensive, and readily available to the flight crew. Development of SOPs is most effective when done by collaboration, using the best resources available including the end-users themselves, the flight crews.

Distractions in Cockpit

Anil Goyal

The airlines make a conscious effort to expose its flight crew to the potential hazards of distractions. Strict adherence to the ‘Sterile Cockpit Rule’ is implemented. Cabin crew and ground staff are trained and instructed to refrain from interrupting the cockpit crew while they’re in the midst of a briefing or entering critical flight data into the FMS, including computation of takeoff speeds. Strict adherence to SOP is mandated and checklist discipline is reinforced during line and simulator training. The key here is for every company to “educate” it’s staff with regards to the challenge that is posed by distraction, affecting the safety of the flight.