February 2010 - Indian Airforce

I picked up the parachute, rang up the ATC that I was
proceeding to Hakimpet, kicked the tyres and jumped
into the front cockpit. As I started taxying out, I saw
young sleepy Dopey, walking towards the aircraft with
a parachute slung on his back, since there was no other
aircraft on the flight line, I had no choice but to wait for
him.
Dopey got into the rear cockpit despite all my yelling
that I wasn’t supposed to carry any passengers. Once in,
I heard his sleepy voce telling me to taxi out as he had
some accounts problems to be sorted out at Begumpet.
We had an uneventful trip to Hakimpet, landed there
at 1300 hrs. The Logistic officer was boiling mad because
we would keep him after working hours to sign various
vouchers.
We left Hakimpet for Begumpet with ten bonedomes
in Dopey’s lap and some all over the floor, the rear hood
couldn’t even be closed. As we landed in Begumpet the
sky split, there was a thunder storm so we sat it out in
the cafeteria and every few minutes asked the met for
clearance.
In the quite period over the next half-an-hour or so, I
pondered. A great number of people take a great deal of
time and care at a great expense compiling things like ASIs,
briefing notes, pilot orders and they just don’t do it for fun.
I should have paid attention to all these things that were
wrong :-
I hadn’t briefed Dopey for the sortie or for any
emergency.
We were in such a hurry that, we were not even strapped
up, adding insult to injury was the fact that we were using
our parachutes like cushions and hadn’t strapped them
on ! Sheer luck a field was there and we did not go into
any obstructions else, I shudder to think what would have
happened.
This incident still gives me the jitters to think that with
a little less luck we might have lost quite a lot more – more
than just the undercarriage, may be two pilots and an
aircraft.
At 1600 hrs, Bidar sent a message that their airfield
would close down at 1800 hrs. Prospects of staying the
night without even a tooth brush were staring at us in
the face. The Almighty probably heard the prayers of two
sinners and the storm abated at 1700 hrs. We dashed
down to the aircraft, jumped into the cockpit and were
off. Dopey yelled, “level out we’ll go back at 200 ft only,
why climb through clouds ?”
Fifteen minutes out, I gave a call to Bidar, “ETA 1745”.
Our flying time was 45 mins and we got airborne at 1720,
so the earliest we would make Bidar was 1805. If we told
them that they wouldn’t accept us. HT-2 R/T being what
it is, the only person who could hear us was an Avro flying
overhead and the message was relayed to Bidar.
Happy with ourselves that all jobs were done,
Bonedomes had been collected. Dopey came on R/T, “Yaar
Goodwala trip what say you” before I could say anything,
the aircraft vibrated. I reduced throttle, vibrations
subsided, but once again set in, shaking the aircraft like a
fish out of water. Dopey closed the throttle and we saw a
white streak curving to our right, realizing simultaneously
that our propeller had taken wings. Thank God, I saw a
field to my right and put the aircraft down, no damage,
we rolled for 50 yds and stopped. Didn’t even have time
to give a call to Bidar.
This Pilot couldn’t be
bothered to strap himself in.
INDIAN AIR FORCE 2 01 0 F e b r u a r y Flight Safety 15