Air Safety Concerns: Lapse in Recorder Installation Highlighted

The absence of flight data and cockpit voice recorders in 176 aircraft operated by non-scheduled and general aviation in India has raised safety concerns. This was disclosed by the government in a session of the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Under current regulations, aircraft with a take-off weight below 5,700 kilograms must have cockpit voice recorders if they received airworthiness certificates post-January 1, 2016. Notably, the crashed Beechcraft C90A in Jharkhand didn't have such equipment due to its certification pre-dating the regulation.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, highlighted ongoing safety issues including detection of violations by Air India and Air India Express, resulting in penalties and regulatory actions. Furthermore, an increase in technical snags and unruly passenger incidents remains challenging for the industry.