E-Paper
Technical snag caused crash: Pilot
THE PILOTS of the ill-fated Cessna aircraft blamed the overhauled engine that stalled seconds after take off, leaving them with no option but crash land in densely populated residential pocket.
THE PILOTS of the ill-fated Cessna aircraft blamed the overhauled engine that stalled seconds after take off, leaving them with no option but crash land in densely populated residential pocket.
Even the two-member team from air safety wing of Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) found a technical snag in the overhauled engine responsible for the crash, said sources. Two days after the plane crashed, one of two pilots and MD of Garg Aviations, Vijay Kumar Garg, broke his silence.
“In normal circumstances, the plane must had ascended to a height of 400 feet but it could touch a height of just 100 feet at the time of engine failure,” Garg told HT. The aircraft went into free fall mode and they hadn’t much time to turn and crash land at the civil aerodrome, he said.
“We decided to land it somewhere else but it wasn’t that easy. On the ground many children were playing and landing there would have meant casualties of kids. This made us panic,” remembers Garg.
Suddenly, they spotted another and relatively empty ground full of bushes and instantly decided to crash land there. “The plane hit the ground with a deafening sound. Capt Ray came out easily but my leg got entangled. The fuel had already spilled and the aircraft was about to catch fire, as I stared at death in the face,” he said.
However, locals came to his rescue and snapped the seat belt with a knife and pulled him to safety. To a query, he said only the Delhi Flying Club was empowered to overhaul an engine and it appears its engineers were negligent. The DGCA team will also record their statements.
Meanwhile, two crashes in quick succession have put the recognition of Garg Aviations in peril. To add to the problems, a magisterial inquiry has also been ordered into the crash.
The authorities on Tuesday made it clear that such flying clubs will not be allowed to endanger human lives. DIG (range) Daljeet Chowdhary minced no words saying that flying clubs should not be allowed to operate within the city limits.
Other than normal investigations, he was in talks with the commissioner (Kanpur division) to get the crash investigated by a senior officer and a team of technical experts. “Any aircraft allowed to fly from the Cantt airport will pass over inhabited area. It’s really dangerous,” he told HT.
ADM (city) Abrar Ahmed said Additional city magistrate RB Sonkar will conduct the inquiry. The points he will investigate will include: Whether the aircraft was fit for flying? How old it was and whether the engine was in ship shape or not? Who were the pilots and under what circumstances the plane crashed? This report, Ahmed said, will be sent to the DGCA with a recommendation to review the recognition to Garg Aviations.
