Former Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF)’s Gwalior air base, Air Commodore S Nilakantan, has missed his next rank narrowly.
Former Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of the Indian Air Force (IAF)’s Gwalior air base, Air Commodore S Nilakantan, has missed his next rank narrowly.
IAF denied him promotion on the ground that he was found guilty of breaching flight safety norms during a VVIP visit in 2009.
A source in the ministry of defence (MoD) said Nilkantan was to get his next rank — Air Vice Marshal — in March 2010. Now, his promotion could only be considered in the next board of selection for promotion.
The aircraft in question was carrying Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and governor Rameshwar Thakur in November 2009 to Gwalior. It had nearly collided with two jeeps on the runway, making the pilot abort landing and pull up for safety.
This happened minutes before president Pratibha Patil was to fly in at the same airport for an IAF function.
A court of inquiry later found that the officer had breached the flight safety norms. It was learnt that Nilakantan was crossing
the runway with his wireless set switched off, which led to the incident.
Air Commodore Nilkantan was also transferred from Gwalior and is currently posted at the Chandimandir Advanced Base at Chandigarh.
Minutes before the president’s aircraft was to land, a state-owned, eight-seater aircraft, carrying Chouhan and Thakur from Bhopal, was landing at the Rajmata Vijay Raje Scindia airport when the pilot spotted the two jeeps, about 100 feet from the ground, at the airforce terminal and he aborted landing. Gwalior, a combat base of the IAF, was receiving the president for the Presidential Colours ceremony to be conferred on the IAF’s 47 Squadron and Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}