rkjindal91
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May 5, 2011, 05.19am IST TNN [ Rajat Pandit ] NEW DELHI: It could have proved much
worse but defence minister A K Antony
was fortunate enough to escape with just
a mild sunstroke. Two Mi-17 helicopters
deployed to ferry Antony and his high-
level entourage to forward areas in Rajasthan developed technical snags, one
after the other, on Monday. Already grappling with a resurgent crash
rate, with close to 50 fighter and
helicopter accidents being recorded just
since 2007, the fact that technical
problems can dog even VVIP flights has
come as a major embarrassment to IAF. "Fortunately, the rotor and power-pack
problems took place while the helicopters
were on the ground. If they had occurred
in the air, it would have been curtains for
the passengers...helicopters, after all,
drop like stones," said a source. IAF, however, tried to downplay the
episode, holding that there was "no need
to order a full-scale inquiry" since they
were "just some minor technical
problems in starting the helicopters".
Added another officer. "Sometimes in hot weather, the battery does not give
optimal power... it does not mean there is
something wrong with the helicopter."
The Antony episode, however, comes in
the backdrop of a spate in helicopter
crashes around the country, including the one which killed Arunachal Pradesh CM
Dorjee Khandu. Incidentally, Antonys entourage included Army chief General V
K Singh and defence secretary Pradeep
Kumar, among others. The two main reasons for crashes in IAF,
both for fighters and helicopters, are
attributed to "human errors" and
"technical defects". In other words,
"inadequate" training to pilots, ageing
machines, shoddy maintenance practices and lack of adequate number of spares all
come together to form an explosive mix.
Just last year, IAF recorded a dozen
crashes, which killed five pilots, 11
military personnel and four civilians. Sources said while the flight of the two
Mi-17s from Jaisalmer to Tanot went off
fine, the problems began on the way
back. First, one of the helicopters
developed the technical snag, leaving the
"less important" among the passengers to take to the road back to Jaisalmer. Then, the second Mi-17, which was
supposed to take Antony and the other
VVIPs to the airport from the Jaisalmer
military station also refused to start. This
time, Antony and the others had no
recourse but to travel by cars to the airport to take the plane back to New
Delhi. Antony did not attend office on
Wednesday as he was "slightly
indisposed" after his hectic Rajasthan
tour, which took place in blistering heat.
The 71-year-old minister also has to
conserve his energy for his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar beginning
Saturday.
worse but defence minister A K Antony
was fortunate enough to escape with just
a mild sunstroke. Two Mi-17 helicopters
deployed to ferry Antony and his high-
level entourage to forward areas in Rajasthan developed technical snags, one
after the other, on Monday. Already grappling with a resurgent crash
rate, with close to 50 fighter and
helicopter accidents being recorded just
since 2007, the fact that technical
problems can dog even VVIP flights has
come as a major embarrassment to IAF. "Fortunately, the rotor and power-pack
problems took place while the helicopters
were on the ground. If they had occurred
in the air, it would have been curtains for
the passengers...helicopters, after all,
drop like stones," said a source. IAF, however, tried to downplay the
episode, holding that there was "no need
to order a full-scale inquiry" since they
were "just some minor technical
problems in starting the helicopters".
Added another officer. "Sometimes in hot weather, the battery does not give
optimal power... it does not mean there is
something wrong with the helicopter."
The Antony episode, however, comes in
the backdrop of a spate in helicopter
crashes around the country, including the one which killed Arunachal Pradesh CM
Dorjee Khandu. Incidentally, Antonys entourage included Army chief General V
K Singh and defence secretary Pradeep
Kumar, among others. The two main reasons for crashes in IAF,
both for fighters and helicopters, are
attributed to "human errors" and
"technical defects". In other words,
"inadequate" training to pilots, ageing
machines, shoddy maintenance practices and lack of adequate number of spares all
come together to form an explosive mix.
Just last year, IAF recorded a dozen
crashes, which killed five pilots, 11
military personnel and four civilians. Sources said while the flight of the two
Mi-17s from Jaisalmer to Tanot went off
fine, the problems began on the way
back. First, one of the helicopters
developed the technical snag, leaving the
"less important" among the passengers to take to the road back to Jaisalmer. Then, the second Mi-17, which was
supposed to take Antony and the other
VVIPs to the airport from the Jaisalmer
military station also refused to start. This
time, Antony and the others had no
recourse but to travel by cars to the airport to take the plane back to New
Delhi. Antony did not attend office on
Wednesday as he was "slightly
indisposed" after his hectic Rajasthan
tour, which took place in blistering heat.
The 71-year-old minister also has to
conserve his energy for his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar beginning
Saturday.