Says lapses cannot be simply blamed on pilots
New Delhi: Aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said safety lapses cannot be simply blamed on pilots as it announced a slew of strict safety measures for non-scheduled flight operators, including public disclosures of aircraft maintenance history and a safety ranking mechanism, in the wake of recent plane crashes.
A day after a plane, operated by a non-scheduled operator (NSOP), crashed in Jharkhand, killing seven people on board, DGCA held a meeting with all such operators on Tuesday.
The meeting was held to “address a recent surge in aviation incidents and emphasised the critical need for an increased focus on safety across the sector”, the DGCA said in a statement.
“Safety must remain the absolute priority, superseding all commercial considerations, charter commitments or VIP movements.” The authority asserted that an organisation’s leadership must prioritise safety above all other criteria.
“To support this, the authority reaffirmed that the Pilot-in-Command’s decision to divert, delay, or cancel a flight for safety reasons is final and must be respected by operators without commercial consequences,” the statement said.
Sending out a strong warning, the regulator said accountable managers and senior leadership of NSOPs would be held personally responsible for systemic non-compliances and stressed that “safety lapses cannot simply be blamed on pilots”.
Among other steps, DGCA will conduct intensive audits of NSOPs wherein there would be increased random Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) audits, cross verification of ADS-B data, fuel records, and technical logs to detect unauthorised operations or the “falsifying” of data.
Apart from the requirement of public disclosure of critical safety information, including aircraft age and maintenance history, DGCA said there would be a safety ranking of the NSOPs.
Pilots of NSOPs would face stricter penalties for non-compliance and could even face suspension of licenses for up to five years. The regulator said there would be increased monitoring of NSOPs’ older aircraft, as well as those undergoing ownership changes.
Chopper carrying 7 crashes into sea, all rescued
Sri Vijaya Puram: A Pawan Hans helicopter carrying seven people, including two crew members, crashed into the sea just 300 metres away from its scheduled landing at Mayabunder helipad in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Tuesday, and all of them were rescued, officials said.
The crash occurred around 9.30 am, after the chopper took off from Rangat in the North and Middle Andaman district, they said.
All five passengers and the two crew members, rescued from mid-sea, were admitted to a hospital, one of the officials said.
“The helicopter crashed into the sea around 9.30 am. A preliminary inquiry revealed that there was some technical snag, and the pilot made a crash-landing on the sea,” a senior Civil Aviation official said. An inquiry has been initiated, he said.
“On February 24, 2026, PHL Dauphin N3 helicopter (VT PHY) took off from Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) at around 8.30 am for a passenger flight from Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) to Rangat and further to Mayabunder.”
“The helicopter landed at Rangat helipad around 9.05 am. It further took off from Rangat to Mayabunder at around 9.10 am. The helicopter ditched about 300 metres short of Mayabunder helipad in the sea (shallow water) at around 9.30 am,” Pawan Hans Ltd, a central public sector undertaking based in Noida, said on X.
The helicopter operator also said all passengers and the crew members have been “safely retrieved”, and “PHL is actively coordinating with all respective agencies”.
A district official said a team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected to visit the site to investigate the helicopter crash.
“The helicopter wreckage is still in the sea. It was left there for investigations by the local administration and the DGCA. The statements of both pilots have been taken by the police, and further inquiry is going on,” he said.
North and Middle Andaman Deputy Commissioner Sushant Padha said the rescue team, the police, forest personnel and the Coast Guard acted promptly and rescued all seven people.
“Those who were travelling in the helicopter are identified as Rajita Devi and her child Shivansh, Kamala Chandra Das, Shipra Saha, Nambi Amma, and two pilots, Captain Anil Janu and Captain TPS Gulia. All are safe,” the DC said.
One of the seven people was referred to GB Panth Hospital in Sri Vijaya Puram for a CT scan as she suffered head injuries, another district official said.
