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.