Vistara fined Rs 10 lakh by DGCA
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Vistara for letting an improperly trained pilot land an aircraft at the Indore airport recently. The flight had passengers on board.
According to the DGCA, the pilot, who was the first officer on the flight, landed the flight without first getting the requisite training in a simulator.
“This was a serious violation endangering lives of the passengers on board,” the regulator noted.
As per the rule, a first officer has to be first trained to land an aircraft in a simulator before he or she can land a plane with passengers on board. A captain is also trained at a simulator before he or she can allow the first officer to land the aircraft.
The captain as well as the first officer of the Indore flight did not train in a simulator but the first officer was still allowed to conduct the landing at the airport. DGCA noted that Vistara granted landing clearance to the first officer without conducting requisite training.
The lapse was detected during a landing in Indore.