However, Reddy was not alone on that ill fated helicopter flight. He was accompanied by his political advisor and chief security advisor, men who we can assume to have been rational and well informed. The pilot and the co- pilot were experienced and well trained and fully aware of the terrain and weather conditions through which they would have to fly. Yet this combined team of wise and professional men met with a fatal helicopter accident on the morning of Sept 02, 2009 and their bodies and the wreckage of the helicopter were not discovered till the early hours of Sept 03, 2009.
Many justifications were given for the search mission’s inability to locate the ill fated aircraft. Officials repeatedly claimed that the activities of the IAF helicopters were hampered by bad weather and dense forests. Search parties on foot were in constant fear of Naxalite guerillas in the jungles. Adivasi tribes could be deployed for help but their loyalties were questionable. Logical reasoning says that these were the very same factors which were present when the Chief Minister and his entourage took off. Why were they not deterred by these considerations? There was no election rally to attend, no war zone to reconnoiter, nothing which would mean the difference between life and death. Even then, a flight plan was laid out, adhered to against all commonsense and resulted in incalculable loss and misery.
The Bell 430 helicopter is purportedly an all weather, all terrain machine and can be flown in the most adverse of conditions. In this age of man vs. machine, the machine repeatedly scores over human ability. Pilots become secondary in the comparison between the capability of the machine and the experience and advice of the man in command of the machine. Intense pressure is exerted on the pilot to complete the flight even against his better judgment. Reddy’s chopper continued on its ill fated mission despite weather warnings, duration of the flight and heavy load it was carrying. When death calls, reason is outweighed by extraneous circumstances.
Flying has become commonplace and routine for all our political leaders and the wondrous capabilities of rotary wing aircrafts are being marketed by manufacturers and charter agencies alike. What most people fail to realize is that helicopters may be small, maneuverable, able to land anywhere even on a rooftop, yet they are extremely complex, and delicate machines. On a routine flight, with natural conditions being favourable, a pilot can engage auto pilot and the machine will ease the load of the men manning it. The difficulty arises when the terrain is rough and unfamiliar, the weather conditions are hazardous and visibility is poor. This is the time when the skill and aptitude of the pilot is sorely tested and when his judgement to continue or abort a mission becomes paramount.This is the foremost lesson one must learn from the repeated tragedies which have taken the lives of some of our outstanding politicians like Speaker Balayogi, Madhavrao Scindia and Rajeshwar Reddy.
Mr. Reddy’s flight plan was for a two and a half hour cross country trip which necessitated the pilots to carry their full load of fuel, leaving only a 15 min. margin for any unexpected delays or diversions. There were five people on board the aircraft which together with the weight of the fuel exceeded the ideal weight the helicopter should have been carrying. Adverse weather conditions were encountered within minutes of take off and should have forced the pilot to turn back and abandon the flight. However, another extraneous consideration may have come subconsciously into play. In a number of companies, flying pay is linked to the number of hours that a pilot logs every month. His expertise, competence and market value is judged by the number of landing and takeoffs he has undertaken. In a hugely competitive market, pilots are tempted to undertake even hazardous flights to notch up flying hours and to prove their capability.
Helicopters are unable to climb high above cloud level and faced with zero visibility in the midst of clouds, pilots naturally tend to fly low and hug the terrain to retain their bearings. A peculiar phenomenon of disorientation occurs when the instruments suddenly disengage and the pilot has to rely on all his experience and training to retain command over the machine he is flying. Refresher training for helicopter pilots is mandatory every six months in the U.S. and the DGCA in India has recommended that pilots should have their skills updated regularly but very few employers here adhere to this simple, basic rule because of the expense involved.
I have been married to a helicopter pilot for the last 31 years and every flight is a challenge for him and his family. I have lost many friends in fatal accidents which could have been averted if more thought could have been given to the man rather than only the machine, to reason rather than emotion, to the ability to accept that the captain of the craft is wholly and solely responsible not only for the aircraft he has signed his name to fly but for all the passengers and the co-pilot seated next to him. No sane man willingly undertakes a suicidal mission and all the underlying factors which resulted in a tragedy of this magnitude must be investigated and redressed.
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