Mangalore crash probe delayed

The Court of Inquiry (CoI) set-up to look into the May 22 Mangalore air crash, which claimed 158 lives, has been granted a month’s extension.

The Court of Inquiry (CoI) set-up to look into the May 22 Mangalore air crash, which claimed 158 lives, has been granted a month’s extension.

HT Image

The report was to be submitted by August 31.

The extension was given following a request from the team, which said it was still awaiting the wreckage examination report, medical report of the pilot and the toxicology examination of blood report of the crew.

Time was also required since a second public hearing is to be held in Mangalore in the first week of September.

Sources, however, said that chances of the report being submitted by September 30 appeared dim and more extensions could follow. “An inquiry of this nature should broadly be time-bound. However, one or more extensions are natural. It is for the government to look into the reasons that have led to a delay,” said aviation expert Kapil Kaul.

The CoI was set-up following a government notification on June 3.

“The ultimate objective of transparency, integrity and independence should be met. It’s not only important for the inquiry to establish what happened but it is also important to know what precautions should be taken for the future,” he added.