In photos: D.C. crews search river after plane and Army helicopter collide near Reagan airport

An Indian newspaper (Okay, it is the Times of India, you dragged it out of me) has revealed that “According to Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 5 (Air Safety), Series C, Part I issued on 13 October 2006, preliminary report by the inspector of accidents/inquiry officer should be finalized within 10 days of the accident.”

Furthermore, the preliminary report should be in the format provided by International Civil Aviation Organization, and the deadline for submitting the preliminary investigation report for the May 22 Air India Express Mangalore aircrash was June 2.

Here it is nearly halfway through July and no report.

Of course, never mind that other countries take a year or more to finalize their reports. Silly of other countries. After all, other countries carefully keep the wreckage. Apparently the DGCA doesn’t think that’s necessary, because they are reported to have just thrown out the wreckage with the garbage–after having let it sit in the elements for more than a month.

A court of inquiry has been formed to investigate the Mangalore air tragedy. The information uploaded on the ministry of civil aviation’s website under the title “initial investigation report” is not the preliminary investigation report but is “only put up to keep the public informed about the progress of the investigation.”

So, if you’re wondering what happens in India when the DGCA (India’s aviation equivalent of US. FAA/NTSB) officials violate their own rules?

Apparently nothing.