AI crash pilot shouldn't have been on flight: Son

The pilot who was at the helm of the doomed Air India Express flight that crashed in Mangalore last year was not suppose to fly, the Serbian captain's son reveals as he demands fresh investigation into the accident.

Claiming that he has discovered new evidence that could clear his father, Alexander Glusica says that according to the airline’s flight rota of that period – a copy of which he has acquired – his father, Captain Zlatco Glusica, was not supposed to fly on that day or the next few days.  He argues that the captain must have been drafted at the last minute and that he might not have been ready.

A leaked report from an Indian Court of Inquiry, published by newspapers across the world earlier this year, held Captain Glusica responsible for the crash. The report also said that the captain had slept for more than half the flight and woke up just before the tricky landing, as a result he was slow to react to the situation.

Dubai-based daily tabloid '7DAYS' quoted 26-year-old Alexander, who is also training to be a pilot, as saying that his father had complained of being overworked and that the airline’s policies not his father alone was responsible for the accident.

“I am 100 per cent sure that he was not planned for the flight. It is wrong to blame my father for everything. The investigation should be reopened and they should look into this vital factor,” Alexander was quoted as saying by 7DAYS.

Alexander says his father had not mentioned anything about flying or being on standby when he spoke the last time with the captain only a few hours before the flight.

The accident on May 22, 2010, which killed 158 people continues to haunt his family and that is one of the reasons he is determined to clear his father’s name.

 “There is a lot of pressure on my family to live with the fact that my father was responsible for the deaths of 158 people. There is an obligation to the victims of the crash to know the truth.”

Alexander’s claim are supported by a leading Indian aviation website, which has also called for the case to be reopened.

Aviation India claims to have obtained a copy of the ‘Flying Programme’ of Air India Express for the period May 17, 2010 to May 23, 2010, and Glusica’s name does not appear on it.

“What if Captain Glusica was informed of the flight only some hours before? What if he had not slept for the previous day not being aware of the sudden change in schedule?” it said.

Abhay Pathak, the Regional Manager for Air India Express’ parent company Air India, said the firm cannot comment on the claims as results of the inquiry have not been officially released.
 

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