'Know your limits and the limits of the aircraft'

Sometimes it is the man behind the machine who makes mistakes, sometimes it is the machine which does so, and sometimes it is a combination of both and some other factors that leads to an accident, notes Helicopter pilot IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe.

That is the conversation that was going on in the cockpit of a helicopter flying on a 'life-saving' mission.

A fighter aircraft on a long ferry had disappeared from the radar screen almost an hour ago. There had been no communication from the pilot to the radar.

The helicopter had been launched to carry out a search and rescue from Mumbai, but had diverted to Pune due to bad weather. After waiting at Pune for a while for weather to become a little better, it had taken off again towards Goa.

It was almost certain that the fighter would have crashed by now. It was well past its endurance.

It was hoped that the pilot would have ejected and would be safe on ground somewhere near the last known position that the aircraft had been in radar contact.

Getting the young man safe as quickly as possible played on everybody's mind. Including the crew of the helicopter, of course.

That's why, it was the Commanding Officer of the unit who was flying the helicopter along with a good experienced co-jo (co-pilot) in the cockpit.

The mission was critical since a brother officer's life depended on it. And, if finally, the man was rescued safely, it would be time for celebration.

Therefore, it was a considered decision to take a few risks with the weather, and of course, within the limits of the aircraft and the capability of the crew.

Cut to next day at the unit after the aircraft was back at base.

The CO had asked all the crew to be in the briefing room.

He came straight to the point. Cut and dried.

"You are aware that we launched a search and rescue mission yesterday for the crashed fighter near Goa.

"The weather was ok till such time we crossed Belgaum towards Goa. Thereafter, we were flying approximately 1,000 feet above ground, in and out of clouds.

"So far so good. Almost all of you know the route that goes across the Western Ghats to the shores of Goa.

"Well, we were stuck on the eastern side and trying to penetrate the weather.

"We keep going down to lower altitude trying to find a break in the clouds so that we could clear the hills and go across.

"All of us were vigilant in the cockpit and well in control of the situation till we came to the decision point of whether we could negotiate the hill feature.

"As we closed in to the hill, we got into a cloud and then all hell broke loose".

"We had come too close to the ground in the cloud and we saw the faint outline of the hillside appearing in front and growing in size.

"We were not going to make it across. Just in time, we turned away harshly and I put on some rudder to tighten the turn.

"Ask the flight engineer here what all happened to the engine and rotor RPM as we did that!

"He was almost out of his seat in panic!

"We just about managed to clear the hillside by a few metres and are here to tell you the story".

"And yes, we were low on fuel and had no choice but to divert to Belgaum just in time before the low fuel warning came on".

"Remember, we all make mistakes.

"It is better to discuss them here and learn from them.

"If you aren't there to tell the story tomorrow, we will only have to learn from speculation!"

"So much so for the story, the details of which can be discussed if you wish to draw more lessons.

"My co-pilot and flight engineer will clear all your doubts and questions after I finish.

"There are some important lessons that we can learn from this episode..."

"First is crew coordination and the ability to take a decision fast when you find the situation going out of control of your and your aircraft capability".

"Secondly, when you fly as a crew, each has his task cut out.

"Seniority and juniority are on ground.

"Respect each other's views and counter views and don't be afraid to give your inputs".

"Thirdly, is about risk management.

"Know your limits and the limits of the aircraft.

"Do not, I repeat, DO NOT take any panga with weather. It is always better to be safe and fly another day.

"We all have responsibilities at work, for the IAF, for the crew, and for our families as well.

"Keep those in mind especially when you undertake missions which are of high value".

He rambled on till such time he felt that the story had been beaten threadbare and was imprinted on every brain present in that crew room.

The fighter pilot had died in the crash.

A small mistake by the helicopter crew would have met the same fate. They were lucky to live and tell the story.

I remembered this anecdote when I heard of last week's tragic crash of the helicopter in the Nilgiris.

My heart goes out to those who perished in the tragedy.

Sometimes it is the man behind the machine who makes mistakes, sometimes it is the machine which does so, and sometimes it is a combination of both and some other factors that leads to an accident.

It is always a cumulation of wrongs that makes accidents happen. And that's the truth always and everytime.

An old saying that one can find put up in many a flight safety corner in the units and squadrons goes like this:

Whenever we talk about a pilot who has been killed in a flying accident, we should all keep one thing in mind.

He called upon the sum of all his knowledge and made a judgment.

He believed it so strongly that he knowingly bet his life on it.

That his judgment was faulty was a tragedy, not stupidity.

Every inspector, supervisor, and contemporary who ever spoke to him had an opportunity to influence his judgment, and so a little of all of us goes with every pilot we lose.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com