Sad News from India
Hi ! This just came over the wires a few hours ago
BANGALORE: Popular south Indian actress Soundarya, her producer brother Amarnath, and two others were killed on Saturday when the four-seater Cessna 180 aircraft crashlanded minutes after it took off from the Jakkur aerodrome and exploded catching fire.
Soundarya was travelling to campaign in Karimnagar, Andhra Pradesh, for the BJP. The aircraft crashed into the GKVK campus barely 50 meters from NH-7 and burst into flames a few seconds later.
All four passengers onboard - Soundarya, her brother Amarnath, Bangalore chief of Hindu Jagran Vedike, Ramesh Kadam and pilot Joy Phillip - were charred beyond recognition.
A labourer rushed to rescue the victims and opened the door when the aircraft burst into flames. He has been hospitalised.
The wreckage of the aircraft was strewn over a large area and police took several hours to extricate the charred bodies from the mangled aircraft. The 1955 built aircraft - Cessna -180 - belonged to Agni Aerosport and Adventure Academy, Bangalore.
According to the Academy CEO Arvind Sharma, the aircraft took off from Jakkur airfield at 11.05 am in a westerly direction and climbed 100 feet before it turned left towards Bangalore airspace after obtaining permission from the ATC
However, within minutes of take off and flying across the highway, it crashed into a mango grove in the GKVK campus.
While the fire force personnel arrived within minutes and doused the flames, police arrived much later and cordoned off the area to contain the crowd that swelled to several hundreds.
Director of Airworthiness, Bangalore, P P Kadambalithaya said that on preliminary investigation, the reason for the crash could not be ascertained. However, all documents of the flight operation has been obtained from the Academy and a thorough inquiry would be taken up. It could take a day or two before the actual cause of the crash is ascertained, he added.
"Everything seemed normal before take-off. All precautionary measures were taken. Joy is a well trained youngster who has over 400 hours of flying experience and has been with us for over a year," Sharma said, adding that the incident was unfortunate.
He said that while all flight operation documents are being verified, the weather conditions and fuel samples too are being checked. Sharma said that there is also a possibility of a bird strike.
Asked whether the Academy held a non-scheduled operators permit to charter persons, Sharma said they had all the required certification.
"A friend requested us to drop them (the actress and others) off at Hyderabad. Two to three persons with a child were to travel. Everything was normal before take-off," Sharma said, while speaking to reporters a few hours after the mishap. The child was Amarnath's young daughter who however did not board the aircraft. The 1955-built aircraft was bought from Pondicherry-based Nexus Computers a year ago. It was registered in India in 1991. The aircraft had done a total of 7,000 hours of flying including 110 hours after it was procured by the academy.
After officials of the DGCA had inspected the site, the bodies were extricated and shifted to Bowring Hospital mortuary for post-mortem. Some material from the wreckage has been collected for examination. An onlooker said, "Had the crash occurred a few meters before the campus, it would have been a disaster as there is heavy volume of traffic on the highway
( Source TOI )
My deepest condolences to the families involved. May the departed souls rest in peace
Question : How come this antique aircraft was STILL flying in the first place on a regular flight ??
Joles