Ahmedabad crash probe on, will follow global standards: Ram Mohan Naidu

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu says an in-depth probe into the Ahmedabad Air India crash is underway, following global standards. He assured full support for the investigation. Meanwhile, the DGCA has issued a notice to a pilot over safety concerns.

Ahmedabad Crash Probe Underway

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Sunday said that an in-depth investigation is underway into the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash incident and said that his ministry is provided all possible support to the investigators involved in the probe.

Speaking to ANI, he said that there is no shortage of resources required for the investigation.

"The investigation is happening in its own pace very thoroughly and very professionally they are doing it. I just want to mention that there are international citizens also involved in that crash. All the countries also became parties to the investigation. So it is very important for us to maintain global standards, international standards, all the accident investigation practices that have been mentioned at a global level we need to follow them," Minister told ANI.

"So that has been a priority for us and we are doing a very good job in that regard. From the investigation team, from the ministry to the investigation team, whatever support is required, we are strongly giving it to them so that there is no dearth of resources," he added.

The AI 171 crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft in Gujarat's Ahmedabad killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.

DGCA Issues Notice to Air India Pilot

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to an Air India pilot amid safety concerns on flights AI-358 and AI-357, pertaining to aircraft dispatch, Minimum Equipment List (MEL) compliance, and flight crew decision-making.

DGCA, in its notice, said that the pilot accepted the aircraft despite repeated snags and system degradation.

The civil aviation authority noted that there was a smell of smoke reported near a door in the AI-358 flight.

DGCA in the show cause notice said, "Whereas, it has been observed that M/s Air India Limited, during the operation of Flight AI-358 (and related operations of AI-357), serious safety concerns arose pertaining to aircraft dispatch, Minimum Equipment List (MEL) compliance, and flight crew decision-making." (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)