KARACHI, May 11: The Civil Aviation Authority has found life-saving equipment of PIA aircraft, specially A-310, operating on long overseas routes expired after they conducted their physical examination.
The CAA’s inspection team found these shortcomings in the fleet of A-310 aircraft. They have also found violation of rules governing the maintenance of life-saving equipment in B747-200 aircraft.
The CAA inquiry report said they carried out examination of a B747-200 aircraft. The escape slide, along with survival kits, was taken off from the aircraft for physical check/demonstration. The inspection team opened the survival kit in the presence of the shop manager and quality control representatives of PIA for physical check. No contents’ list was found in the survival kit and life of all the items was found expired. These items were Glucose Barley Sugar Sweets, First Aid Kit, Signal Smoke Illumination Marine, etc. It was also apprehended that some other important survival equipment such as compass and radio equipment, which were normally mandatory items in the survival kit, appeared to be missing.
After they found the above-mentioned shortcomings, the team felt it necessary to investigate other details and the status of other B-747-200 aircraft. The staff informed the team that the status of two other B-747 aircraft was identical and their life raft equipment were also lying expired. The authorities concerned in the CAA were informed of the shortcomings and, after their approval, limitations and restrictions were imposed on these aircraft.
The inspection team remained there to obtain other details of the PIA fleet, in particular of all those aircraft operating on long overseas routes, specially of the A-310 aircraft fleet. “They were informed that the survival equipment of the whole fleet of A-310 aircraft were lying expired. It was shocking,” the CAA report said.
In another inspection by the same team the record was obtained from cardex control (MIC Sheet), which showed that 14 survival equipment, 11 aircraft life rafts and one escape slide were changed from a B747-200 aircraft (Registration No AP-AYW) on Feb 8 this year and the shop completed the entire overhauling work in one day.
The team took the record into its custody and expressed the opinion that this job could not be accomplished in one day. The scrutiny of record revealed that it did not carry the manufacturing dates of the escape slide, life raft, etc. The technical record was not found. The manual record was found, but it was not updated since 1992. Practical overhauling procedure check was also carried out on one life raft and one survival kit. Most of the items in them were found expired and they were manufactured more than 20 years back. A similar check was carried out for inflation and deflation of life raft and for necessary inspection. This was also found unsatisfactory in the light of the above-mentioned serious violations, the inquiry report said.
After the inspection, the team concluded that the check of 14 survival equipment, 11 aircraft life rafts and one escape slide from an aircraft, AP- AYW, on Feb 8 was carried out on paper only. In view of the violations, the operation of the aircraft was not allowed on long overseas routes till all shortcomings were rectified.
Later, a meeting was held between the high officials of the national carrier and the CAA at which the PIA Director Engineer acknowledged all the shortcomings pointed out by the CAA and took serious notice of the lapses by all individuals as well as system flaws vis-a-vis lack of procedures, itemwise check list, tracking of record, computerization of stock status along with manual record. The PIA officials assured the meeting that alternative arrangements on an immediate basis were being made to follow compliance with the rules, specially on the A-310 fleet, which operated across the Atlantic.
Sources said no action against those responsible for the shortcomings had been taken so far.
