Captain Samir Kohli is a familiar figure on airfields and airports around the world, investigating air accidents. In April, 2012, Kohli began an independent inquiry into the crash landing of Air India Express Flight IX 812 from Dubai to Mangalore on May 22, 2010, killing 158 of 166 people on board.

“I was approached by the 812 Foundation (formed by the victims’ families) to provide an independent opinion on the reasons for the mishap at Bajpe Airport. The official inquiry had returned with a standard ‘pilot error’ verdict. In the course of my investigations, I found that the government had focused only on the errors of the pilot. In fact, the pilot is like a goalkeeper in a soccer match and can neither be held responsible for the entire team nor can he correct a situation in the event of an accident,” Kohli reveals.

Kohli faced many hurdles in studying the situation at Bajpe Airport in detail and recapping the events leading to the crash. He obtained records and statements by filing more than 30 RTI petitions in Delhi and Mangalore.

“It took me almost one year to get all the facts from the authorities as answers were evasive,” he says and adds, “I found out that the reason for the crash was that the Mangalore Airport was built in a non-standard method with a concrete structure that was non-frangible and just 200 metres from the runway. The entire wing of the plane was sheared off when it hit this concrete structure and this led to the explosion”.

The post-mortem reports of the victims clearly indicate that only six out of 158 had fatal injuries while the rest died of burns from the fire. “My investigations have revealed shocking failures, gross negligence at every level of the government machinery, including the managements of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India, Air India and Mangalore Airport. The poor pilot was blamed for their shortcomings. Based on my report, the families have now filed a petition in the Supreme Court,” Kohli adds.

Away from home

Alas! This one and only aircraft accident investigator, certified by International Civil Aviation Organisation, Montreal, has not been able to find a job in India.

“There are very few (investigators) in India, none on the civil side. You can find a few in the Indian Air Force. The Indian aviation industry, controlled by the politicians, does not have a job for me as they do not recognise or understand the need for an investigator,” Kohli laments.

Decorated Deck

Taking a peek into his professional life, City Express found out that he has 30 years of experience, with 21 years in the Indian Navy and nine years in civil aviation.

Kohli has won the Nausena Medal for gallantry (1988), Commendation for Chief of Naval Staff (2006), President’s Silver Medal First in Order of Merit in Naval Training, the Chief of Air Staff Trophy for best in Air Traffic Management training and a host of other awards.

“Flying is my only passion. The sticker on my car reads ‘I would rather be flying’. I have left my family in Bangalore to pursue my passion outside India. This is with a tinge of sadness as I learned a lot in India but unfortunately, our civil aviation industry fails to recognise what I do,” Kohli rues.

Stopover in Bangalore

On quitting the navy, Kohli joined the Bangalore International Airport Limited as a civil aviation expert building and designing runways and formulating safety and operating procedures for Bangalore. “Concentrating on airport infrastructure, I worked in BIAL from 2006-09 and everybody here recognises my contribution to the development of this airport,” he says. Kohli has designed and built a flight academy and also re-designed the Thumamah Airport, 40 kilometres from Riyadh. Presently, he is serving as an aviation adviser to Agip Oil Ecuador company in Ecuador.