India’s aviation safety regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has grounded two Pawan Hans pilots pending an inquiry into an alleged safety lapse.

The pilots were ferrying three oil workers on 10th December and made an unscheduled landing after realising when already airborne that a door of the helicopter was not securely shut.  Having taken off from the BC Fossil rig, an emergency landing was made at the BLQ2 rig some 100 miles off the coast of Mumbai.

According to the DGCA’s standard safety procedure, helipad staff should ensure that a helicopter’s doors are properly shut before they signal the pilot for take-off. However, the pilots should also check the same before they start the engine(s).

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com