Four detained for suspected sabotage of Ambani chopper

Mumbai: Four people have been detained in connection with Thursday's suspected sabotage of industrialist Anil Ambani's chopper that he was supposed to have flown from the Mahalaxmi Race Course helipad to his office in Navi Mumbai before the incident was detected.
"We are still investigating the matter and questioning the people concerned with the helicopter's maintenance," said Senior Inspector S.M. Ghuge of the Santacruz Airport Police Station.
Ambani didn't finally take the 20-minute flight on Thursday, a company source said, as he was tied up with a board meeting. Later in the day, maintenance personnel discovered pebbles, small stones and mud in the fuel tank, and said if it had gone undetected, it could have led to a disaster while in flight.
"Usually, on all Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays, he (Anil Ambani) takes this chopper to fly to his office in Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City," the source said.
The source said there were several other big and small choppers parked near Ambani's, but none was touched by the suspected saboteurs.
A senior official of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said the Bell 412 13-seater helicopter was for non-scheduled operations. "We are in no way connected with their regular operations, or any other issue," the official said.
A spokesman for Air Works India Engineering, which is responsible for the maintenance of the helicopter, told IANS that a technician discovered that the chopper was tampered with after he noticed that the oil tank valve cap was not fitted properly.
24/04/09 IANS/Economic Times

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Categories: Airports Apr 2009, Indian Aviation- In General Apr 2009, Safety Apr 2009