New Delhi: A Madhya Pradesh pilot, Captain Majid Akhtar, accused of causing a Rs 85-crore loss to the Madhya Pradesh exchequer after he crash-landed a plane in May 2021 has denied the allegation of negligence levelled by the state government, according to reports.
Captain Majid Akhtar, once hailed as a Covid warrior, was among the first pilots to fly in a PPT kit during the first wave of the pandemic as he ferried emergency medicines to various parts of the state.
At the peak of the second wave, he was flying a Beech Craft King Air B 250 GT aircraft carrying 71 boxes of Remdesivir from Ahmedabad to Gwalior via Indore, when he had to crash-land the plane at the Gwalior airport on May 6, 2021, due to a snag.
In a charge sheet filed last week against Captain Majid Akhtar, the Madhya Pradesh government alleged that the plane that cost around Rs 60 crore was reduced to scrap because of the crash, according to an India Today report.
The government also said it incurred Rs 25 crore on hiring planes from private operators to continue operations after the crash.
According to the India Today report, the state government has not mentioned anything about the Beech Craft aircraft being allowed to fly without anyone checking if the mandatory insurance protocols were in place.
Quoting a source in the aviation department, the report said the state government could have recovered the cost of the plane even after it was reduced to scrap if the insurance protocols were in place.
According to Captain Majid Akhtar‘s response to the charge sheet quoted in the report, the crash took place as a result of the arrestor barrier installed at the Gwalior airport and he was not informed by the local air traffic controller (ATC) about it.
Captain Majid, who holds over 27 years of flying experience, also alleged that he was not provided with the contents of the black box that contains all the instructions received from the Gwalior ATC, the report said.
It said the state government also accused him of failing to keep his licence valid after the crash. His licence was suspended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) pending an inquiry by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
In his reply, Majid reportedly said the licences of several pilots were suspended in the past only to be revoked later, and that he should not be held guilty until the DGCA completes its inquiry.