NEW DELHI: A pilot of private chopper owned by a Mumbai-based company has landed in trouble for allegedly allowing two car mechanics to fix some problem in the engine of the helicopter. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) grounded the pilot after getting information about the matter.
The regulator suspects that the chopper may have developed a snag at the Kolhapur stopover, and when no aircraft mainte nance engineer (AME) could be found there, the car mechanics were roped in.
According to sources, the two mechanics, who were called to-'repair'the chopper, run a small garage in Kolhapur.
"The chopper's pilot has been grounded and we are interrogating him to find what the mechanics were doing with the chopper's engine," the official said. "The pilot was authorised to do transit inspection. The chairman of the group to which the chopper belonged was on board the Goa-Kolhapur-Pune flight," said the official.
After the car mechanic allegedly inspected the chopper, the pilot flew the helicopter to Pune and landed it safely there. Only qualified AMEs are supposed to inspect and repair aircraft or chopper engines. This is perhaps the first instance of a winged bird's engine being inspected by a car mechanic.
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Stay updated on the go with Times of India News[3] App. Click here[4] to download it for your device. "On October 12, 2016, the company's Agusta Westland AW 109 chopper[2] (VT-VCA) was flying from Goa to Pune via Kolhapur. Our Mumbai office got information and pictures that at the Kolhapur stopover, car mechanics were called to do 'something' with the helicopter's engine . They may have possibly inspected the engine to try rectify a snag," said a senior DGCA official.
The regulator suspects that the chopper may have developed a snag at the Kolhapur stopover, and when no aircraft mainte nance engineer (AME) could be found there, the car mechanics were roped in.
According to sources, the two mechanics, who were called to-'repair'the chopper, run a small garage in Kolhapur.
"The chopper's pilot has been grounded and we are interrogating him to find what the mechanics were doing with the chopper's engine," the official said. "The pilot was authorised to do transit inspection. The chairman of the group to which the chopper belonged was on board the Goa-Kolhapur-Pune flight," said the official.
After the car mechanic allegedly inspected the chopper, the pilot flew the helicopter to Pune and landed it safely there. Only qualified AMEs are supposed to inspect and repair aircraft or chopper engines. This is perhaps the first instance of a winged bird's engine being inspected by a car mechanic.
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References
- ^ car mechanics (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ AW 109 chopper (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
- ^ News (play.google.com)
- ^ here (get.timesofindia.com)
