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India asks airline for crew documents in crash

investigation

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India asks flying schools, airports to step up training

checks

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Pilot of crashed plane had 8,200 flying hours experience

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Top Boeing ( BA ) executive visiting India

By Aditya Kalra and Abhijith Ganapavaram

NEW DELHI, June 17 (Reuters) - India's aviation safety

watchdog has asked Air India for the training records of the

pilots and dispatcher for the plane that crashed last week as

part of its investigation into the incident that killed at least

271 people, government memos showed.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation also asked all

flying schools to conduct training compliance checks, according

to the confidential memos, seen by Reuters.

The DGCA said the requests were part of a "regulatory"

review of the accident, and also sought details of action taken

following the watchdog's audits of Air India in the last few

months. It asked for the details to be provided by Monday.

It was not clear whether Air India had complied with the

directive. The airline and the DGCA did not respond to Reuters'

requests for comment.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London with 242 people

on board began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad

on Thursday before crashing into nearby buildings. Everyone on

board was killed, bar a single passenger, along with about 30 on

the ground.

Sumeet Sabharwal, who the Indian government has said had

8,200 flying hours of experience and was also an Air India

instructor, was the commanding pilot of flight AI171. His

co-pilot was Clive Kunder who had 1,100 hours of experience.

Sabharwal's funeral took place in Mumbai on Tuesday.

The watchdog requested for training details and supporting

documents for the pilots, as well as for the flight dispatcher.

The memo did not elaborate on the type of documents required,

but accident investigations commonly look at a crew's training

and qualifications, flight history, medical records and any

actions previously taken against them.

The memo did not raise any concerns with Air India's

operations and some of the requests are standard in the

aftermath of a major incident.

Dispatchers are DGCA-certified ground-based airline

employees whose role includes flight planning, assessing weather

and airspace conditions, and coordination with the pilots.

While the request for pilot training data was sent by the

DGCA, the accident investigation is being led by another wing of

the aviation ministry, the Aircraft Accident Investigation

Bureau.

Air India's Chairman N. Chandrasekaran told staff on Monday

the incident should be a catalyst to build a safer airline.

The DGCA, through a separate memo dated June 16, also asked

flying schools across the country to "strictly follow additional

safety and operational measures."

The regulator said instructors must check for compliance

with procedures concerning training, maintenance and licensing,

and coordinate flight plans with nearby airports in advance to

ensure any emergencies are dealt with swiftly.

"Compliance will be assessed during audits/surveillance,"

said the memo by the Directorate of Flying Training, reviewed by

Reuters.

Stephanie Pope, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes,

visited Air India's headquarters near New Delhi and met the

airline's chairman to discuss the crash, Reuters reported on

Monday.

The crash poses a new challenge for Air India, which the

Tata Group bought in 2022 and has been trying to revamp, and

Boeing ( BA ), which is trying to rebuild public trust following a

series of safety and production crises.

In a June 13 memo headed "updating airport emergency plan",

seen by Reuters, government-managed airports have also been

asked to conduct a full-scale training exercise - typically an

emergency drill - on June 30.