AN industrial tribunal heard yesterday that British International
Helicopters had lost confidence in pilot Pusht Vaid, one of only two
survivors of the 1986 Chinook disaster in which 45 people died.
Captain Vaid, who was found to be blameless, is claiming racial
discrimination and constructive dismissal. He resigned last February
following demotion with the loss of #14,000 a year as a result of an
incident in which a helicopter under his command approached a North Sea
platform without its wheels down.
Captain Stuart Birt, managing director of BIH, told the tribunal that
he had chaired the appeal after Captain Vaid was dismissed at an initial
disciplinary hearing.
He said that Captain Vaid admitted he had not performed the proper
checks and drills during the flight on December 15 last year but agreed
he had been more harshly treated than other pilots who had been involved
in similar incidents.
''There was no mitigation or explanation,'' said Captain Birt.
He said there also had been a change in the ethos of industrial
relations since the 1970s, when ''industry and state-owned industry was
more likely to bow to pressure of unions than would seem to be the case
now''.
Captain Birt said he decided not to uphold the dismissal only because
he learned, during the hearing, of another similar incident involving
another of the company's pilots, Captain Philip Walters, who was one of
Captain Vaid's representatives.
Captain Walters had escaped with only a verbal reprimand from the
chief pilot but Captain Birt said that on learning of the incident he
gave him a warning at the appeal which he could regard as a last
warning.
''I found myself in a somewhat difficult position,'' he said. ''It was
an event of which I
was completely unaware and it had a great influence in my changing the
award given by Captain Stubbs (the chief pilot).''
He agreed it would have been unfair to sack Captain Vaid when another
pilot had been given a lighter sentence for an apparently similar
offence.
He had ordered that Captain Vaid not be dismissed but demoted to first
officer.
He fully accepted there had been no risk to passengers in the
incident. However, Captain Vaid had been not been disciplined for the
wheels-up incident but for the failure to follow standard checks which
had provided a significant development in safety standards since the
war.
He dismissed any suggestion that Captain Vaid's race or colour had
been a factor in the case and said BIH employed a wider ethnic mix than
any other aviation company in Britain.
The managing director suggested that Captain Vaid should have known
better in his handling of the incident.
The evidence in the tribunal has now been concluded, summing up will
take place today, with the tribunal giving is decision in writing later.
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