Royal Aeronautical Society fellow asks for court of inquiry into Kozhikode crash

Captain Amit Singh, an international aviation safety expert and a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS) in London, wrote to civil aviation minister Hardip Singh Puri on Tuesday, demanding a court of inquiry into the August 8 Air India Express plane accident at the Karipur international airport, Kozhikode. He alleged that evidence from the crash spot appeared to be tampered with and therefore needed an open investigation.

Singh, a former chief of safety at AirAsia, said that his plea follows videos captured by the local media after the accident, showing three unidentified persons near the cockpit of the aircraft after the crash. Singh attached screen grabs of the video in his mail to the minister.

When asked about the letter, an Air India Express spokesperson said, “We cannot comment as the accident is under investigation.”

The plane overshot the runway while attempting to land at the table top airport; there were four cabin crew members and two pilots aboard, besides the passengers. While the two pilots lost their lives, all four cabin crew were rescued. A total of 18 people died in the crash.

Also read: Air India plane overshoots Karipur’s table top runway, drops into gorge; 20 dead

Singh pointed out that no personnel except those extricating bodies were authorised to do anything else, and also alleged that this (the alleged act of the three unidentified men) is tampering with evidence.

An email sent to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) did not yield any response.

Singh’s letter read, ‘As seen in the photograph, a person (A) dressed in military fatigues positioned outside the aircraft cockpit is seen pointing out to something inside the cockpit. There is apparently another person (B) inside the cockpit who hands over a what appears to be a document, to person A. Person A is then seen handing over the presumed document, which is apparently stained to a third person(C).’

Referring to the screen grabs, Singh alleged that the destruction of evidence was evident from the video of the person inside the cockpit ostensibly rummaging through the documents and cavities, apparently searching for something in particular.

“The current team of experts from AAIB and its experts are fully competent to investigate the accident,” said a spokesperson from the ministry of civil aviation.

Singh stated that the AAIB procedures manual 2012, under point 4, details the procedure for securing evidence on site. “It states that the Officer incharge of the aerodromes closest to the site of the accident should assist in coordination with local police authorities and will take immediately all reasonable measures to protect the evidence until the arrival of the officer of AAIB or any other authorized person. It also states that the assistance of civil authorities, particularly that of local police is also necessary to ensure that vital evidence is not lost [sic],” wrote Singh.

He also said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) states few tasks that should be accomplished without delay; these include securing the occurrence site, aircraft, wreckage, and other equipment involved to ensure their preservation, including protection against further damage and the deterioration or disappearance of essential evidence due to theft, displacement or improper handling of the wreckage.

“In the absence of a judicial and an open inquiry, I do not see any reason as to how an investigation would be fair and reasonable. Therefore I request you to immediately constitute a Court of Inquiry under the Rule 12 of Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules 2017,” concluded the letter.