Chartered Plane Crashes at Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Five Killed, Two Injured; DGCA Orders Probe
Reports inform that the plane is Uttar Pradesh government aircraft VT-UPZ, KING AIR C90. It is reported that the plane crashed at telephone exchange at Ghatkopar west area. One person has reportedly died in the accident.
Five people including 2 pilots and a pedestrian were killed and two injured when a chartered plane crashed in Mumbai's Ghatkopar on Thursday. After it crashed, several portions of the plane burnt in the premises of an under-construction building. The fire was brought under control within half an hour by the fire brigade. There were two pilots and as many engineers on board.
As per reports, eyewitnesses said that the plane was seen hurtling down in the narrow Jeevadaya Lane area and crashed with a deafening sound before breaking into pieces and bursting into flames around 1.15 p.m. Reports inform that the aircraft's crucial Flight Data Recorder or Black Box was recovered.
Expressing sadness over the deadly incident, Former civil aviation minister Praful Patel tweeted that the pilot saved many lives at the cost of her own, by swerving to avoid crashing in a busy area.
"Saddened to hear about the unfortunate incident at #ghatkopar as Charter plane crashes in an open area. Salute to the pilot who showed presence of mind to avoid a big mishap, saving many lives at the cost of her own life. #RIP to all the 5 Dead. My deepest condolences", he said in a tweet.
The chartered plane was a 12-seater. Reports inform that two charred bodies were pulled out from the accident site. According to details by fire officials, the department received a distress call at 01:16 pm. The fire brigade rushed three fire engines to the spot, which were able to extinguish blaze by 01:40 pm.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the plane had taken off from the Juhu airstrip on a test flight. Reports inform that the aircraft belonged to Mumbai-based company, U Y Aviation Pvt Ltd and is owned by gutkha baron Dipak Kothari.
A black box has been found at the accident site. Mumbai's Metropolitan Fire Brigade, 108 ambulance service and police services have been pressed into service. A team of National Disaster Relief Force has also been rushed to the spot.
Reports inform that the aircraft belonged to the Mumbai-based company, U Y Aviation Pvt Ltd which is owned by Pan Parag owner Dipak Kothari. When the deadly incident happened, the aircraft was less than three km from Mumbai airport main runway 27.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in its update informed that the Chartered Air Craft of UI Company crashed at Old Malik Estate, Near telephone exchange, Prithvi building, Jeev Daya Lane in Ghatkopar(W). The capacity of Aircraft is 12.
More Details on the Plane Crash: One of the pilots who was killed in the crash was a lady pilot. The crash on Thursday afternoon caused a major traffic jam in Mumbai. After the deadly accident, the major arterial road Lal Bahadur Shashtri Marg (LBS), where the incident occurred, witnessed a massive traffic jam.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation in its statement said all on board aircraft along with one person on the ground are dead. The accident site is Ghatkopar, Mumbai. DGCA team on way for prelim investigation. AAIB shall do detailed one.
Out of the five dead, two are reported to have been pilots while the two others onboard were technical staff. One of the dead is being said to be a pedestrian. Here's what we know so far.
According to details by the BMC, three bodies of crew recovered from the accident site have been sent to Rajawadi hospital in Ghatkopar. Till now total 5 people have been dead and two have reportedly being injured.
Principal Secretary Information Avnish Awasthi informed that the chartered plane which crashed in Mumbai's Ghatkopar does not belong to Uttar Pradesh government. He informed that the state government had sold it to Mumbai's UY Aviation. The deal was done after the plane had met with an accident in Allahabad.
The plane crashed near Jagruti building in Ghatkopar near an under construction site. So far, five people have been killed. Fire tenders and an ambulance are at the spot. Firefighting operations are underway. No casualties have been reported. More details awaited.
Mumbai, June 28: A chartered plane crashed in an open area in Mumbai's Ghatkopar on Thursday. According to details available, the plane crashed near Jagruti building in Ghatkopar near an under construction building. Five people have died in the crash out of which one is being reported to be a pedestrian. The plane was supposed to land at Mumbai's Juhu airport.
The fire brigade teams were rushed to the spot. Due to the plane crash, a fire erupted in the area in Ghatkopar. Reports inform that the plane belonged to Uttar Pradesh government and the aircraft was VT-UPZ, KING AIR C90. Some reports also say that the aircraft was owned by Pan Parag owner Deepak Kothari. It is reported that the plane crashed near the telephone exchange at Ghatkopar west area.
In a similar incident, a Sukhoi jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed on Wednesday in Nashik district of Maharashtra. The two pilots who were onboard managed to eject safely. Reports inform that the pilots were seen using parachutes to leave the aircraft before it crashed. Both of them landed safely.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 28, 2018 01:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).