The Hindu : Air safety in IAF on the ascent: Kalam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 06, 2003

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Air safety in IAF on the ascent: Kalam

By Sandeep Dikshit

— Photo: V. Sudershan

Kavita Gadgil, mother of the IAF pilot, Abhijeet, who was killed in a MIG-21 crash, with her husband, Anil Gadgil, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI AUG. 5. The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, today gave a patient hearing to the family members of a pilot who died in a MiG-21 crash and assured them that he would take personal interest in ensuring adequate air safety.

"I know that he is a fair person and will positively do something. The President carefully listened to us and seemed to share our grief,'' said Kavita Gadgil, mother of an IAF pilot Abhijeet, who died in a MiG-21 air crash in 2001.

After meeting the President, Ms. Gadgil said the President told the family that "air safety in the Air Force was on the ascent'' and the information contained in a petition submitted to him would be used for making further improvements.

The meeting with the President was the culmination of a crusade launched by Ms. Gadgil for making MiG-21s safer after she was offered "unconvincing explanations" by Indian Air Force officials for the crash that killed her 27-year-old son less than a year after his marriage.

"His assurance is enough for me. I will wait for his reply and till then I shall not say anything. We are fortunate to have a responsive President,'' Ms. Gadgil told presspersons in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The petition contained a five-point action plan — accept that there is a problem with the MiG fleet that needs to be tackled on a war-footing; carry out a squadron by squadron audit of aircraft serviceability by an independent board of experts; get good, high quality, realistic flight simulators; get modern safety equipment fitted onto the MiGs; and, conduct a cost benefit analysis of cannibalisation of fleet to make sure that at least 50 per cent of the MiG fleet is fully flying fit even at the cost of the other 50 per cent.

Ms. Gadgil, along with her husband, a former IAF pilot, explained to Mr. Kalam as well as to the media that the vigour of the "Abhijeet Air Safety Foundation'' was not directed against the IAF nor was it pressing for the grounding of the entire MiG-21 fleet.

"We realised we were being misunderstood. We are not asking for unrealistic or drastic measures. We want an increase in air safety so that our soldiers are not killed by their own machines,'' said Ms. Gadgil, who gained media spotlight after she asked the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, to refrain from what she called "the frivolous exercise of a joy-ride in a MiG-21 at Ambala as it will serve no useful purpose''.

Mr. Fernandes "ignored her advice" and flew in a MiG-21 but he also helped Ms. Gadgil get an appointment with the President.

Appreciative of his gesture, she nonetheless remained critical of his "joy-ride'' because "he proved nothing''.

She said she was pained by the attitude of the Inspector-General, Air Headquarters, Ashok Goel, who she said misconstrued the intention of the foundation and wrote to her: "So far we have turned a blind eye to your tirade in public... a venomous attack on the Air Force or its hierarchy does not offer any solace. At worst, you may demoralise the service.''

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