E-Paper
Two Cessna jets used by Mumbai flying school destroyed in accident
An aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) working with a Mumbai-based flying school was benched on Monday after being charged of negligence that led to an accident which destroyed two Cessna business jets last week at the Baramati airstrip.
An aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) working with a Mumbai-based flying school was benched on Monday after being charged of negligence that led to an accident which destroyed two Cessna business jets last week at the Baramati airstrip.
The aircrafts belonged to Academy of Carver Aviation Pvt. Ltd, a Mumbai-based flying school. The academy is among the many other city-based flying schools which uses the Baramati airstrip for training purposes, owing to want of land in Mumbai.
According to a DGCA probe report, the incident took place on May 4 when the AME was checking the ground run-up of a three-seater Cessna jet (VT-RDX). The AME lost control of the plane, allowing it to swirl 180 degrees on the right before crashing into another Cessna jet (VT-ACB), which was parked close-by.
“The chocks (wedges that hold up aircraft wheels) on the right wheel gave away as the aircraft was at full throttle (throttle controls the mass flow-rate of fuel-injected in engines). As a result the plane took a rapid spin and crashed into another aircraft,” said a senior DGCA official requesting anonymity.
The national regulator suspended the concerned AME and concluded its probe citing the matter as a case of ‘human error’. “Our investigation found that the accident was caused owing to the AME’s fault. Both the planes have been written off,” said Sanjay Brahmane, deputy director general, air safety (western region) with the DGCA.
Officials at the Carver Aviation’s administrative office in Baramati told HT that a company spokesperson would comment on the matter, but did not respond till the time this report was published.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
