'ATC did not contact copter'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, NOV. 28. The commander of the U.S. warship USS John Young, Mr. Geoffrey T. Pack, today denied that the helicopter was contacted by the ATC during its controversial flight on November 26. ``I am not aware of any such attempt by the ATC to contact us when we were flying the helicopter,'' he said, answering questions from presspersons on board the ship.

He claimed that the copter had taken off from the ship, on the morning of November 26 on a `routine pilot proficiency tour', flying in `conformation with the directions prescribed by International Civil Aviation Norms'.

Admitting that the reaction to the incident had been `strong', he added that he was `not aware of any communication gap or violation of airspace'. He had been requested for a report on the incident as had the U.S. embassy and the reports had been sent, the commander said.

Mr. Indran Amirthanayagam, the Consul for Public Affairs, who was also present said the investigation was `on going' but refused to comment on whether any U.S.-based agency would be in Chennai for this purpose.

Meanwhile, NAD-AAI sources told The Hindu that Air Traffic Control tape transcripts, audio and videographic tapes had been ``sealed and kept in safe custody''. This evidence would shed light on the copter's exact flight pattern, its height, its speed and the course it took while cruising in mid-air, 60 nautical miles east of Chennai on Monday when it was spotted by the Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar.

The Regional Executive Director, Southern Region, NAD- AAI, Mr. S.R.R. Rao, today clarified that ``further action as appropriate would be taken by authorities in Delhi''.

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Section  : National
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