I don't want to be next: How Air India crash must have shaken pilots at Ahmedabad

India Today

a day ago

Pilots leave their earthly baggage behind when they take off. But, even those who are meant for the skies are bogged down by a crash like that of Air India Flight 171. This is especially true of the pilots who took off hours after the crash at the Ahmedabad airport, which killed all but one on board. Over a dozen others perished on the outskirts of the airport where the plane crashed less than a minute after take-off.advertisementThe total toll from the Air India crash is 265, making it one of the worst aviation disasters in the world. The fact that the crash took place during take-off -- a critical phase of the flight during which pilots are hyper-aware -- and that it involved the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner -- a passenger jet model never involved in a crash before -- stunned the aviation world.The crash of Air India 171 has become a talking point in the pilot community. But it probably does not weigh as heavily as it would have on the minds of pilots waiting in line to take off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport.
'I don't think it's possible to remain unaffected,' says Nagarjun Dwarakanath, editor, India Today South Bureau and a qualified commercial pilot, on whether flight training helps aviators remain unmoved. ''I don't want to be next' is the kind of thought that goes through mind.'advertisementA former Navy pilot who transitioned to commercial aviation after retirement shares a vivid memory. 'I have had a similar occasion way back in 2006 when a crash happened at Goa's Dabolim airport. I was flying and was to land just after I heard about the crash [on radio].'The next few moments for him filled with 'tears in my eyes' and 'heart pounding'. 'I knew the pilot who had crashed for the last 10 years,' he says, adding that training and muscle memory helped him safely land. 'But my mind was disturbed and I was unable to concentrate.' 'SMILE WOULD HAVE BEEN MISSING'Both Nagarjun and the retired Navy pilot said that a crash like this would definitely have left pilots at the Ahmedabad airport in 'utter shock' and filled with a 'sense of fear'. Another pilot, who flies for a national airline, describes how the task of taking off must have been "very, very challenging and demanding" for the aviators next in line."It's a lot of courage that we need to gather to punch the thrust levers and depart... it is more of a challenge because your mind is already diverted and thinking about so many things [at a time when] you need to be situationally aware and follow your SOPs for a safe take off," he says.advertisementBut ultimately, the training does help.'Pilots on the whole are goal oriented with a problem-solving altitude. During the flight, pilots generally tend to leave most of their "earthly baggage" behind. Be it joy, sadness, anger or anxiety. The focus is always on safe operation then efficiency,' says Nagarjun.A fourth pilot, who used to fly with IndiGo before moving to a global carrier, adds that the brief shutdown of operations at the Ahmedabad airport following the crash would have been of help.'Since airport operations resumed after four hours, that duration generally allows sufficient time for pilots to recover and return to duty,' he says. 'There is no specific training that can fully prepare someone to witness death or a major crash up close. Nonetheless, pilots are trained to regain composure, refocus, and return to flying.'But that return to flying happens with a dose of abundant caution. 'For the guys immediately behind, I think the first feeling would be utter shock followed by resolve to ascertain that my airplane and passenger are safe,' says Nagarjun.The retired Navy pilot echoes the thought: 'They must have cross-checked each and every document related to the aircraft and the sector they were going to operate on... [they must also have] called up their family, especially the wife and children, to inform them that they are safe.'But, he says, 'The smile would have been missing for sure.'Must Watch