Bangalore: Exactly two years ago, on this day (Sunday), India’s first multi-role light transport aircraft programme Saras had suffered a major setback following the crash of its second prototype (P2) on the outskirts of Bangalore, killing three IAF officers on board.
Putting the past behind, the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) — the designer of the aircraft — is now planning to conduct the first flight of the third prototype (P3) by this year-end or early next year.
Sources in NAL said that several factors, right from the crash to the probe report on it by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and later the aviation regulators’ audit had held up the project which was to attain certification by now. DGCA had came down harshly on NAL, questioning why the Bangalore-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-governed laboratory had employed private contractors to design the aircraft and also slammed it for incorrect relight procedure which led to the crash killing two pilots — Wing Commander Praveen K and Wing Commander Dipesh Shah along with a Flight Test Engineer Squadron Leader Ilayaraja.
07/03/11 Hemanth CS/Daily News & Analysis
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