NHRC notice to Air India over technician's death

Union tells technicians not to give engine start up clearance

The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the civil aviation ministry and Air India over the death of an airline technician in an accident at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday.

Air India technician Ravi Subramanian had died after being sucked into an engine of an Airbus A319. Investigation is underway. Preliminary details had indicated the pilots had started taxing the aircraft without getting the proper signal from Subramanian.

Following the accident, Indian Aircraft Technicians Association’s (Air India technicians’ union) General Secretary M S Kulkarni asked all member not to give clearance to start aircraft engines to pilots.

Aircraft push-back and engine start-up are supposed to be carried out under the direct supervision of an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME). But because of a shortage of AMEs, technicians have been carrying out the task. Kulkarni’s directive would mean only AMEs will give the clearance.

In a press statement, NHRC said it had taken suo motu cognisance of media reports and given the ministry and Air India two weeks to respond.

NHRC member Justice D Murugesan said safety and security of technical and non-technical staff were of great concern. “Though the incident is pictured as an accident, reports in the press are otherwise. Right to life guaranteed under the Constitution of India would include Right to Safety as well,” NHRC said in its statement.

The incident had occured on Wednesday evening when the Hyderabad-bound plane had completed its push-back. The co-pilot was a trainee first officer.

Pilots and ground staff have to follow certain procedures when an aircraft is being pushed back from the parking bay. The procedures are carried out under the direct supervision of a licenced aircraft maintenance engineer. However an AME was not supervising the process on the Airbus concerned. Engine can be started before or after push-back but only after clearance from air traffic control and engineers.

After an aircraft is pushed back to the taxiway, technicians or engineers remove tow bar of the tractor (used for pushing the aircraft) and a pin attached to the aircraft nosewheel. Once that is removed, the ground staff gives the signal to the pilots to commence taxiing.

Pilots are required to obtain prior permission from air traffic controllers before taxing but can begin taxing only after getting a go ahead from the ground staff. Preliminary information suggests that the pilots did not wait for proper signal before taxiing.