Exclusive: Fatigue probably the reason behind Goa accident, says Jet pilot

In the wake of Goa accident in which a Jet Airways aircraft skid off runway on Tuesday, India Today spoke to a pilot with Jet who believes pilot fatigue could be the reason behind the accident.

"My first reaction to this accident was that it's fatigue which we are facing. We are barely getting 2-3 hours of sleep," said the pilot who has been with Jet for two years and has 7000 hrs of flying experience, with 4000 hrs piloting Boeing.

The pilot, a senior commander with Jet, highlighted the pressure pilots face and said their rest was being monitored by a software called optimiser over the last 2-3 months.

Here's what he said:

#1 The pilot alleged that airlines coin rules as per availability of staff and entice DGCA to approve them.

#2 The other rule he spoke about was the breathe analyser test -- which if a pilot fails to take before flying it's assumed as per rules that he's drunk.

#3 "Authorities are waiting for another accident to happen which risks the life of people after which an inquiry will be ordered but no action will be taken on it," said the pilot.

A Jet Airways plane carrying 161 passengers and crew took a 360-degree spin as it skidded off the runway while taking off from Goa's Dabolim airport on Tuesday morning.

Fifteen passengers suffered minor injuries while being evacuated, and emergency slides were used to move those on-board out of the plane.