India has now joined an elite group of nations that have a dedicated bureau for investigations into air accidents and incidents involving aircraft in the country.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India will also conduct investigations across the world into accidents involving Indian aircraft.
The civil aviation ministry has said that the bureau, which would include experts from various fields, would function under the Union government and help set up a committee of inquiry and formal investigation, besides follow up on recommendations.
The ministry has also recommended the creation of a database to be managed by the bureau and put an end to the long-pending demand for a database on accidents and incidents to facilitate effective analysis on actual and potential safety deficiencies.
The expert team will also investigate near-collisions, aborted take-offs, fire and smoke in aircraft, structural failures in aircraft and serious runway incursions.
A member of the National Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council, captain A. Ranganathan, said that there was a need for an independent bureau to investigate aviation accidents and incidents.
“Only such a body with professionals who cannot be influenced can conduct proper investigations and come out with recommendations to prevent future accidents,” he said.
The expert team that probed Mangalore air crash had also recommended that an independent investigation bureau be set up in India.
In the 1950s, the International Civil Aviation Organization had recommended that air accidents be investigated by independent bodies.