Wednesday, December 23, 2009

YSR chopper crash: `gaps' found in transcript

The committee probing the chopper crash that killed former Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others has sought a second extension before it submits its inquiry report. The probe team, headed by Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited CMD R K Tyagi, has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry for a January 15 deadline after sources suggested that the committee is yet to receive the full transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) retrieved from the crash site.
The four-member committee formed after the September 2 crash was initially slated to submit its report in the first week of November, a deadline which was then revised to December second week.
It was found that the CVR, sent by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-appointed team to the US agency National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) for decoding, had certain gaps, and was therefore sent back, said a senior official, close to the development.
These gaps basically refer to the local language used by the chopper occupants. "Since the CVR was sent to the US agency, they could not decipher the local language," said another official, closely working with the investigating team.
Meanwhile, the country's helicopter association, Rotary Wings Society of India (RWSI), which also conducts parallel investigations into chopper crashes, has not ruled out the possibility of a technical failure being responsible for the crash. It also blamed the state governments for not providing suitable aviation infrastructure for helicopter operations.
23/12/09 Indian Express/msn news
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