Air Crash Investigations - NAT जियो I

Last couple of days provided me an opportunity to follow a very nice series on Air Crash Investigations at NAT GEO. In addition to the excellent handling of the subject, the series offers great insight into flight operations,role of Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the importance of ground duty staff. Indian air traffic has seen a decent growth in the last two decades with the mushrooming of a number of new players in the field. The growth in both international and domestic traffic necessitated the infrastructural and capacity upgradation of a number of airports, but is everything on the air safety is in place is a million dollar question. We continue to have callous individuals at our airports manning the various gadgets; they are the people who live under the illusion that their gossipping on the job can hardly affect their performance of duty or maybe their gadgets require no human intervention and work like the magic wand.

The two instances of air safety violations involving indian planes being covered on the program are - the suspected bombing of IC - 182 (Kanishka) and the hijacking of IC - 814 to Kandhar. These two events of air disaster which are recreated by the channel by compiling first hand accounts and material evidences,are a bone chilling and hair raising stuff. While the mid air explosion of IC - 182 (Kanishka) is attributed to a maliciously checked in baggage in Canada to further the political cause of the terror dealers, the IC - 814 hijacking is outrightly outrageous act in the sky. The indian government failed to get cracking on both the occassions and got exposed as a vulnerable and soft state.

In anyone listening......