DGCA denies destruction of pre-2010 safety records

Mumbai/New Delhi: India's civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has destroyed most records relating to mishaps before 2010, according to reports emerging in the media. According to a report, senior officials of the DGCA have said that what have been destroyed are records of "minor incidents" as the agency does not consider them important.

The ''minor incidents'' include the recall of an aircraft in mid-flight, or the sudden opening of a door in mid-air and the like. Mishaps on the ground, at airports, such as aircraft brushing against each other while taxiing are ignored and no records are maintained, the report goes on to say.

DGCA officials claim this has been official policy since 2007 and that they maintain records only of serious accidents, which are maintained for a period of up to three to four years.

The report says that aviation regulators, globally, maintain records of all safety-related issues for a much longer period, say 10-15 years.

The report quotes Bharat Bhushan, the director general of civil aviation, as denying all such claims. He said that nothing had been destroyed and that the organisation was moving towards automation and paperless work and as part of this initiative some misgivings may have occurred.