Bipin Shah   Self Employed
MUMBAI: Any guesses why the fake pilot's licence scam is so colossal? Past cases of fraud involving pilot's licences and flight training in India show that the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has been lenient towards the accused. Though the DGCA has independent powers to revoke a pilot's licence, it prefers to let the police and the courts decide on the course of action. As the case drags on, the accused pilot continues to fly or instruct, the regulator giving him back his licence and restoring his privileges.

A case in point is that of Carver Aviation Academy, Baramati. Its former chief flight instructor (CFI), Capt Ashim Taxali, was under the scanner in 2007 for clearing 25 student pilots without conducting their flying tests. These were students who had trained abroad for a commercial pilot licence (CPL). To get an Indian licence, such students have to take a flying test in India, which can be conducted by any CFI authorized by the DGCA. The students approached Capt Taxali, who "pocketed the fees paid by the students and issued them certificates without so much as making them sit in an aircraft, let alone operate it", said a DGCA source.

The matter came to light after the chief operating officer of the flying club filed a police case against the CFI, since his activities resulted in loss of revenue for the club. ToI reported the matter on November 6, 2007, following which the DGCA initiated an inquiry. Capt Taxali was placed under suspension and the flying club shut down. The police chargesheeted Capt Taxali, who spent a month in jail before being granted bail. Though the case is in court, the DGCA restored his CFI licence and reopened the flying school.

This was despite the DGCA investigation report (a copy of which is with ToI) accusing him of fraud. "The records of flight test carried out by Capt Ashim Taxali are not available in journey log books or the authorization books of Carver Aviation Academy, which indicates that the flight tests were actually not carried out," says the report signed by: A K Chopra, former joint director general, DGCA; A K Sharan, former deputy director general, DGCA; and Capt Binodini Devi, a senior pilot.

The first recommendation of the DGCA report was "the approval of Carver Aviation Academy may be cancelled immediately". The second was "the licence of Capt Ashim Taxali may be cancelled with immediate effect". But neither recommendation was followed.

"The flying club had to be reopened as there was pressure from a top politician," the DGCA source said.

Compare this with the practice in the UK. "When I was taking my pilot licence exams in the UK, there was this student who was caught cheating in his airline transport pilot licence exams," said a senior commander. "Not only did he lose his licence, but also his CPL was revoked. He is no longer a pilot."

Fake Marksheets

Submitted for procuring airline transport pilot licence (ATPL)

Accused

Airline pilots: doctored ATPL marksheets to become commanders

DGCA officials: colluded with middlemen to issue fake marksheets

Modus Operandi

Candidates who could not clear tests in subjects like air navigation despite repeated attempts were approached by middlemen operating in connivance with DGCA officials. Their roll numbers and marks were substituted with those of candidates who had cleared the tests

Exposure

The DGCA stumbled upon the scam while investigating a case of faulty landings by Parminder Kaur Gulati, an IndiGo commander The marks submitted by her did not tally with those maintained in the records of the DGCA's central examination organization

Action

The DGCA is checking the documents submitted by 4,000 airline pilots Police cases have been filed against those who submitted fake documents Four pilots have been arrested The practice of issuing marksheets to successful candidates has been stopped; to obtain the ATPL or CPL (commercial pilot licence), pilots will now have to submit the printout of their result put on the DGCA's website

Passenger Perspective

Gulati did a number of faulty landings where the nose wheel of the plane, instead of the undercarriage wheels, touched the runway first.

Fake Flying Hours

Logged in by commercial pilot licence (CPL) aspirants. Flight test results fudged

Accused

Airline pilots: submitted fake documents for procuring CPL Chief flight instructors (CFIs): flying school teachers who forced the pilots to log entries without flying

Modus Operandi

200 hours of flight training are required to obtain a CPL. To make money on the sly, unscrupulous CFIs forced students to enter flight training hours into their log book without conducting training sessions. The number of fake hours logged varies from case to case. In one case, the CFI of Carver Aviation, Baramati, cleared 25 students without conducting a flight test, a mandatory requirement for obtaining CPL

Exposure

DGCA officials got a complaint from a student about fake log entries made by the Rajasthan Flying Club, Jaipur. Investigations revealed that log book entries of many students of the school and also Karnal Flying Club, Haryana, did not coincide with entries by the clubs on the number of hours their aircraft were in flight. The owner of Carver Aviation complained against the CFI to the police after he found that the instructor had been pocketing the fees

Action

DGCA files police cases against CFIs. Two are in police custody, one is out on bail. Investigations are on. Two Rajasthan Flying Club-trained SpiceJet pilots who had logged fake flying hours are in judicial custody. More cases likely since the DGCA has yet to verify records of pilots who trained abroad

Passenger Perspective

Airlines put CPL holders through a simulator flight test before recruiting them as trainee co-pilots . This test filters out pilots with poor flying skills. But pilots with influence get recruited despite performing poorly in the test.
Mar 24th 2011 23:38