Mangalore plane crash - former AI pilot says report is a cover up

Mangalore plane crash - former AI pilot says report is a cover up

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Mar 10, 2012: According to a Mid Day news report, a member of the Civil Aviation Safety Committee has alleged that the investigating body assigned the task of probing the circumstances related to the tragic Mangalore plane crash of May 22, 2010 has covered up the roles of Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India (AI), and Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the crash. 

Captain Mohan Ranganathan, the former AI pilot and member of the above-mentioned committee, said that probe was not done the way it ought to have been done and the final report looks as if care has been taken to ensure that the AAI, AI, and the DGCA do not enter the picture. The investigative agencies have also pointed the finger of blame at the pilot alone, he added. 

He further alleged that this is not the first attempt made to protect government agencies and a number of cover-ups have been done in investigations he has come across. He said that he has been ignored when he raised the issue with the aviation secretary, the ministry, and other government agencies. 

Meanwhile, Yashwanth Shenoy, a lawyer in Mumbai and the president of the 812 Foundation, an organization that focuses on the welfare of the Mangalore plane crash victims’ kin, has demanded fresh investigation into the roles played by DGCA, AAI, and AI in the tragedy.