On R-Day rehearsal, Sukhoi nearly collided with A-I plane mid-air

It is learnt that the Air Force formation did not stick to the height it had been assigned by the Delhi air traffic control. This brought it perilously close to AI-348, an Airbus 310 that flies from Mumbai to Shanghai via Delhi and Bangkok.

Sources said that the incident occurred somewhere over Alwar around 11.40 a.m. on January 23. The AI flight was flying at 21,000 feet and two Sukhois, which were stand-by aircraft for the Trishul formation at the flypast rehearsal, had been given clearance to fly only to a height of 20,000 feet. Instead, once the rehearsal was over, the Sukhois climbed to grazing distance of the Air-India plane somewhere over Alwar as they made their journey back to their base.

This prompted the shocked Air-India pilot to radio Air Traffic Control: ‘‘This is totally ridiculous sir. We have 200 passengers on board and they are coming like this.’’

The minimum distance between two planes is supposed to be one thousand feet. When told by ATC that the IAF plane had flouted instructions, the Air-India pilot asked for a bigger buffer. ‘‘With these people flying I suggest you keep to 2,000 feet distance,’’ he told ATC.

Air Force officials now accept the fact that their plane was in visual contact with the civilian flight.

‘‘The IAF is cognizant of the occurrence. The IAF aircraft had visual contact with the civil traffic at all times and the standard rules of air were followed,’’ the IAF spokesperson said, adding that the report of the Airports Authority of India was awaited and ‘‘once a Sukhoi nearly collided with Air-India plane mid-air the report is received, appropriate course of action will be followed’’.

The Air-India flight had a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) installed on it, which alerted it as soon as the Sukhois came too close.

Guidelines for the Republic Day flypast had made it clear that for its rehearsals, the Air Force planes could fly up to a height of 20,000 feet within 50 nautical miles of Delhi. The fighters clearly violated this order.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which has laid down very stringent norms for maintaining the prescribed flight separation after the Charkhi Dadri collision in 1996, will now conduct an inquiry.