A day after the Faridabad air crash that claimed 10 lives, the government on Thursday created an independent panel to probe aviation accidents, separating the roles of regulator and investigator, which were being performed by the DGCA alone so far.
Aiming at creating an independent investigation system to match the growth in aviation resulting in rising number of incidents or accidents, an Accident Investigation Committee (AIC) has been established to work under supervision of the Civil Aviation Ministry, an official spokesman said in New Delhi.
The five-member Committee, to be headed by Director of Air Safety, would have all its members from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. It would identify the causes of accident in an independent manner and assist the formal probe panels like courts or committees of inquiry.
The AIC would draw up a formal procedures for notification of an accident or serious incident, assist the Ministry to set up probe panels in cases of major mishaps and carry out investigation of aircraft accidents, the spokesman said.
It would also coordinate and provide support for the probe panels and follow up and monitor the compliance of the recommendations made in the Accident and Serious Incident Investigation Reports.
The idea to separate regulatory and investigation functions, in accordance with recommendations of the UN body International Civil Aviation Organisation, was mooted a year ago by the then Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel soon after the Mangalore air crash that claimed 158 lives.
So far, the DGCA, which frames aviation rules and regulations, also used to investigate air crashes and find out whether its rules were being followed by concerned players or not.
