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Indian Air-Safety Audit Finds Multiple Lapses at Airlines, Hubs

The crash site of Air India Ltd. Flight 171 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, on June 13.

India’s aviation safety regulator found multiple aircraft-maintenance lapses in an audit of airlines and airports ordered after the crash of Air India flight AI171, including recurring defects that indicate inadequate monitoring and correction.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation also found unserviceable ground-handling equipment such as baggage trolleys in its surveillance of airports in New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as maintenance procedures such as tool controls and work-order instructions that weren’t being followed.

“All the findings observed during the surveillance have been communicated to the concerned operators for taking necessary corrective actions within seven days,” the regulator said in a statement.

The findings point to an aviation safety culture that hasn’t kept up with the industry’s rapid growth in India. Among the failings: Aircraft maintenance engineers ignored safety precautions and reported snags to be rectified, and defect reports generated by the aircraft system weren’t being recorded in technical logbooks.

One domestic flight had to be held due to worn tires observed by the inspectors, while a flight simulator at one facility wasn’t set up to match with the aircraft’s configuration, and its software hadn’t been updated to the current version.

The surveillance — part of the special audit announced after the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad — covered flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, air traffic control, communication, navigation and surveillance systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations, the DGCA said.

All but one of the 242 people onboard the Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner died, as well as several dozen on the ground after it crashed into the student hostel of a medical college.

The DGCA said that at one of the two airports — it didn’t say which — obstruction-limitation data hadn’t been updated for three years, and no survey has been performed despite significant new construction near the airport. Since the Ahmedabad crash, India has proposed a law to demolish buildings that exceed height regulations.