Khola was returning to Delhi by the flight IC-402 (VT EDZ) after attending the inaugural ceremony of an Auxilliary Power Unit at the Indian Airlines workshop in Calcutta, followed by an Air Traffic Control seminar, on November 19, 1998.

He was accompanied by Civil Aviation Minister Ananth Kumar, IA chairman-cum-managing director P C Sen, other senior officials and 305 passengers.

The flight developed technical snags, and soon after it returned to Calcutta, its commander and flight engineer were suspended. Commander Anup Singh detected a problem with the pressurisation system soon after its take-off at Calcutta. While Singh, his co-pilot Sunil Vashishth and flight engineer Ashok Narang began running the safety checklist, the smoke alarm, indicating a fire in the cargo hold,went off.

As per DGCA safety norms, the commander announced that the aircraft will be flown back to Calcutta airport as it had developed some ``technical problems.''

According to the IA's Indian Commercial Pilots' Association, while the crew was on damage control, Khola disregarded the flashing seat belt signs, barged into into the cockpit and demanded an explanation. Singh then stopped ascent, levelled off at 2,000 feet and returned to Calcutta. Soon after the plane landed, the DGCA ordered Singh and Narang to be taken off flying duties. In retaliation, the ICPA has threatened to move court.

They have charged the DGCA with interfering in an emergency situation, disturbing the concentration of the cockpit crew, and jeopardising the lives of other passengers. They have also demanded the reinstatement of the commander and flight engineer suspended by Khola.

``Emergency situations require complete attention of the crew and interference by the DGCA created a serious distraction. Singh told Khola to takehis seat, but his requests were ignored by Khola. When the crew was busy controlling a fire alarm, Khola's action clearly jeopardised the lives of all passengers on board,'' an ICPA spokesperson said.

According to aviation experts, Khola violated a basic safety rule mentioned in the Indian Airlines' Operation Manual (19.1) which says, ``No person shall enter the cockpit in the crucial phase of a flight (when the flight is at an altitude of 10,000 feet or below).'' Incidentally, the IAO manual has been framed as per safety norms drawn up by the DGCA.

An altitude of less than 10,000 feet is the most critical stage, when the pilots are constantly interacting with the Air Traffic Control, and are given vital instructions about other aircraft in the airport's vincinity.

``While the passengers have to sit with their safety belts on, even the cabin crew is not allowed to enter the cockpit during this stage,'' the spokesperson explained.

However, hundreds of Mumbai-bound passengers were subjected toinconvenience, as the IA and airport authorities mulled over a major problem on their hands: How were they to fly the VIPs to Delhi?

The IC 402 was grounded on its arrival at Calcutta, and IA management decided to use the 7.30 pm Calcutta-Mumbai IC 273 (VT EVD) flight to ferry the VIPs to Delhi. The Mumbai-bound passengers were left stranded for over two-and-a-half hours, before another aircraft was made available.