India Aviation 2010 takes off on a tragic note crash
Two pilots charred to death as one of the four naval planes
belonging to the Sagar Pavan Aerobatic Team of INS Hansa
crashes into a residential building near Begumpet airport
in Hyderabad
The international aviation show, 2010, began on a tragic
note at Hyderabad’s Begumpet airport on Wednesday as a
naval plane taking part in the air show freefell in seconds,
nose-diving from the sky.The plane crashed into a cell tower
on a three-storey residential building near Begumpet airport
in Bowenpally.Kiran HJT-16, the naval plane belonging to
the Sagar Pavan Aerobatic Team of the INS Hansa (Goa Naval
Base) was part of the four planes participating in the flying
display.Its two pilots, Commander S K Maurya and Lieutenant
Commander Rahul Nair, both from Goa, were charred to death
while two civilians were seriously injured. The accident
occurred between 11.40 and 11.45 am, when the copters were
performing their last maneuvering act.Four naval aircraft
from Goa were taking part in the flying display which involved
loop and bomb burst formations (spraying colours in the sky).
Maurya lost control over the plane while descending and
started swirling in the air. It went off on a tangent for about
1.2 km. It crossed the boundary wall of the airport and hit a
cell tower on a building in the thickly populated narrow
Pochamma Temple lane at Arya Samaj in New Bowenpalli.
“The penthouse is badly damaged. Perhaps the damage is
less because the two overhead tankers on the building got
punctured during the accident. So, water gushed onto the
wreckage. This helped in bringing the fire under control
even before the fire brigade arrived,” building owner
N Ramesh Kumar told Mirror.The body of Commander
S K Maurya was brought down from the terrace and shifted
to the Defence Hospital. The body of Rahul Nair however
disintegrated beyond identification, according to Hyderabad
district collector Navin Mittal.According to eyewitness,
Rahul tried to escape with the help of a parachute but failed.
The damaged portion of the building came crashing down
onto an Indica car parked behind the building. There were
nine flats in the building and most of the people were out at
work when the accident took place.N Ashok and his wife
Ramanamma, a tenant couple staying on the second floor,
told Mirror that they sensed the crash when they heard a loud
sound. “We were preparing to switch on the washing machine.
When we heard the sound, we ran upstairs only to see the debris
of the plane and the two mobile towers pulled down.Probe
orderedNavy spokesperson from Goa MC Joshi told Mirror that
a probe had been ordered into the crash. “It is not even possible
to imagine what factors could have contri-buted to the accident
as the probe is yet to begin. The team will reach Hyderabad late
in the evening,” he said over phone.VIPs witness tragedy Civil
Aviation Minister Praful Patel, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister
K Rosaiah, the top brass of companies from different parts of the
world witnessed the crash. They were all watching the air show.
Seconds after the plane went crashing down, a loud explosion
was heard and a cloud of smoke surrounded the area. However,
Praful Patel refused to comment on the crash saying the Defence
Ministry should react.Are aero shows safe? The question assumes
significance not only in the light of Wednesday’s air disaster, but
also because another pilot was killed during a training session in
Bangalore a few years ago. A Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Dhruv
Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) crashed into the Yelahanka
airbase killing the co-pilot and injuring the captain. The aircraft
was practicing for the Feb Aero India 2007 air show. Co-pilot
Sqn Ldr Priye Sharma from the Indian Air Force died when the
Dhruv crashed near a runway at the airbase outside Bangalore.
Another pilot sustained injuries. Pilots part of Sagar Pawan
aerobatic teamThe pilot and the co-pilot who died in a crash
during an air show at Begumpet airport on Wednesday were
part of the Indian Naval formation aerobatic team Sagar Pawan
that was set up in 2003. Commander S K Maurya and
Lt Commander Rahul Nair were part of the 16-member team
that had last flown during the MiG 29 induction ceremony in
Goa last month. The team gave its maiden performance on
May 11, 2003, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Naval
Aviation at Kochi.
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