Panel to probe plane crash

New Delhi: The Union government will appoint a committee of inquiry to probe the crash of a small air ambulance in a residential area in neighbouring Faridabad on Wednesday. Ten people, including all seven onboard, were killed in the freak tragedy.
The committee will also make recommendations to prevent such accidents, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. A preliminary report has been received by the Ministry.
The nine-seater aircraft of Air Charter Services India Private Limited on its way from Patna to Delhi was carrying a 20-year-old jaundice-afflicted Rahul Raj, doctors Rajesh Jain and Syed Arshad Abbas and nurse Cyril Joy employed with the Apollo Hospitals, Delhi, and Ratnesh, a cousin of the patient. The two pilots, Captain Harpreet Singh and Captain Manjeet Kataria, were also killed.
The crash killed all seven and also three women — Sarita, Vedvanti and Rani — when the plane smashed into their house.
A Directorate-General of Civil Aviation team has inspected the site.
According to DGCA Director of Air Safety (Delhi) Ram Nath, who was present at the site, the strong winds could have caused the small single engine turboprop to crash. “Based on our initial investigations, it appears that strong winds and stormy weather may have been responsible for the incident,” he said.
26/05/11 The Hindu

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Categories: Airports May 2011, Safety May 2011