Ensure ambulance mobility during flying training: Odisha govt to health department

BHUBANESWAR: Alarmed by the recent crash of a trainer aircraft at Birasala airstrip in Dhenkanal district, the state government has asked the health department to ensure permanent mobilization of an ambulance during the flying training programmes.
Even though the Dhenkanal district administration had been sending an ambulance to the airstrip, being run in public-private-partnership by the government aviation training institute (GATI), the ambulance was absent on the fateful day when the tragedy struck.Chief trainer pilot Sanjib Kumar Jha and trainee pilot Anish Fatima were killed when the Cessna FA-152 VT-ENF trainer aircraft crashed on the airstrip minutes after the take-off on June 8.
“The positioning of an ambulance is mandatory as per the safety norms of the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) during the conduct of the flying training activity. Such flying trainings involve risk to lives of the trainee pilots and trainers. The chief district medical officer should mobilize an ambulance at the airstrip, as done earlier,” a senior transport department officer said.
GATI authorities said they have their own ambulance and firefighting facilities at the airstrip. “Our ambulance always stays on standby during the flying trainings. The ambulance was also present and used on June 8 crash. Though the district administration had been sending an ambulance earlier, the service was discontinued as our institute was temporarily closed in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hope they resume the service at the earliest,” a GATI functionary said.
In the wake of the tragedy, GATI had stalled flying training programme for some days. “The aspiring pilots were in shock after the tragedy. We conducted a counselling programme for them with the help of a trained psychiatrist. We have resumed the flying trainings from June 22. Currently seven trainees are learning at the Birasala airstrip. All safety precautions have been adopted as per DGCA guidelines,” the officer said.
At present, GATI has one Piper Seneca V (PA34-220 T) with digital cockpit, Cessna 152, Cessna 172R (digital cockpit), Cessna 172S (digital cockpit) and Cessna 172P aircrafts for the trainees. “We do not know how the aircraft crashed on June 8. A two-member DGCA team is inquiring into the circumstances that led to the crash. The report is awaited,” the officer said.